So Coal Black Grew the Elder One
by ZadArchie
Summary: A Season 6 to the beloved TV series. A new Titan emerges, Blackfire returns, some closure on Terra, an intergalactic game of thrones, and so much more await. All the while, see how it all connects through small moments in Starfire's past. Yes, the title is a play on the 70's ballad, "Cruel Sister" by Pentangle, for any music buffs out there.
1. Episode 1: Archie

**Episode 1: Archie**

 **Author's Note - Introduction**

 _Hello and welcome! This is my first FanFic ever, and I am excited to share it and get feedback, but I would like to first take the time to establish a few things about my Teen Titan stories. First, some business. As far as the cannon I am using goes, I will be relying on the TV series from 2003-2006. Any contradictions presented in the original DC comics or TTG comics will be ignored._

 _Second, I think I should establish a timeline of events to place our heroes within the context of my writing. Really, there never was a set time or age for them within the TV series, although we do know that 4_ _th_ _of July occurred somewhere in it all. Now, as to time, I place Starfire's arrival on earth sometime in May prior to this. For all of this to work, I make the assumption that the events of seasons 1-5 occur within a span of less than a year, which seems like a lot, but hey, they're heroes and crime does not take a break. Now, Raven's birthday has to occur before the new year and "Hide and Seek" sometime in the early part of the new year for her statement of "last year for my birthday" to work. So, I'm saying that the events that occur here in this first episode are in mid-February. Now as to ages, I put Starfire at 15 prior to "Transformation" and 16 after. I give Raven a transition from 14 to 15 during "Birthmark." Robin has probably had a birthday somewhere in the course of the series, so going from 15 to 16. Cyborg and Beast Boy, I say have yet to have their birthdays this year, making them 17 and 14 respectively. Agree or disagree, that is your choice, but I'm sticking with it for the sake of the storyline._

 _Third, as to the nature of my updates. Think of this story as a Season 6, if you will. Each chapter serves as a single "episode" in that season. Technically, there are 14 episodes here, instead of the usual 13 the show was known for, but I had some ideas that had to fit into a particular timeline. Anyway, as to how I will update these stories. I will add sections of episodes. In other words, I will add a 2000 word update to a chapter once a week, unless otherwise specified. Think of the breaks in between as commercial breaks. I do this for a couple of reasons. One, it spaces out posts so as to give me more time to write. Second, hopefully it is convenient for you, the reader. By having these shorter, regular updates, it does not feel like as long of a wait as it would be if you were waiting for me to update and add a whole new chapter. It will be weeks, if not months before a whole chapter is complete. This way, you still get something, even if it is not a full chapter at a time. If this doesn't work for you, I'll probably hear about it in the reviews._

 _One last thing. In memoriam imdifferentnotwerid. The world deserved more writers and betas like you. I am forever grateful for the short time we did work together, and I would have loved to see how wonderful this story could have been with you. You at least got me through these first couple of chapters, and inspired me to continue this work, if anything, for the sake of enjoyment._

 **Disclaimer**

 _I do not own the Teen Titans or any other affiliated material._

* * *

 **The Palace of Tamaran, 16 Years Ago:**

"When can I see?" a three-year-old Blackfire asked eagerly.

She could barely sit still on top of Galfore's shoulders. She had been waiting such a long time for this day. The palace had been abuzz since the early hours of the morning, and Blackfire had heard some of the comings and goings. Thus, she already knew the news. Only now though, had Galfore wakened her. "Easy there, my little bumgorf," Galfore chuckled. "She is not going anywhere. Perhaps we can pass the time if I tell you of my travels to-"

Without warning the massive doors before them opened. Her father, Emperor Myand'r stood in the grand entrance. While the look in his prominent green eyes was steadfast, his long, flowing red beard could not hide his wide smile. Blackfire hopped off Galfore's shoulders and stood before her father. Like most Tamaraneans, he stood tall, almost a giant in Blackfire's eyes. _Almost._ That description was reserved for Galfore. She remembered proper etiquette as future ruler of Tamaran and bowed before him. For the first time, at least as far Blackfire could remember, her father did not keep his normal stoicism and swung her up off her feet. Blackfire giggled and floated out of his arms for a brief second, the unbridled joy taking over. She never saw this much affection out of her father. Of course he loved her, but as Grand Ruler, he had to show strength and solidarity, even towards his own family. Today was special though. "Are you ready?" he asked softly.

She bobbed her head up and down eagerly. He carried her into the room, Galfore following close behind. As they entered, Blackfire saw her mother, Empress Luand'r, resting comfortably in a bed, holding a small bundle. While her father had rather squared features, her mother's were softer, something which Blackfire had inherited aside from her hair and eyes. Blackfire breathed in deeply. This almost felt unreal. Myand'r brought Blackfire up to the very edge of the bed and sat her down beside her mother. "Can I hold her?" Blackfire asked, trying to peek at the bundle.

"Only if she lets you," her mother replied gently, pulling back the cover of the little bundle.

She was incredible, Blackfire thought. In her mother's arms was her new baby sister. She had wide green eyes and one stray, red hair on her head. She was going to look more like their father rather than their mother. It was strange, Blackfire thought; she was only hours old and she was already smiling, and Blackfire could not help but smile back. It was then that the tiny baby looked directly at Blackfire. Seeing her big sister's smile, she started to giggle and flew straight to her arms. "Her first flight," Galfore breathed with awe.

"She's so small," Blackfire said, holding her sister with care. "What are you going to call her?"

"Koriand'r," her mother replied.

That was fitting, Blackfire thought. Her eyes truly shone like two stars in the night sky. The little child meanwhile had taken a tight grip of her sister's finger, her smile never leaving her face. Blackfire felt her father's hand on her shoulder. "You must remember, Komand'r," he said, now speaking to her as the Grand Ruler, "she is your younger sister. With that comes responsibility. She will look to you for protection and for the difference between right and wrong. I trust you. You are the future Grand Ruler of Tamaran. You will know the right thing to do."

Blackfire looked back down at her baby sister. "Don't worry, Koriand'r," she said, holding her close, "I will never let anything bad happen to you. I love you."

* * *

 **Jump City, Present Day**

A sleeping Plasmus was being loaded into a prison vehicle, the sticky remnants of his latest battle with the Teen Titans covering most of Main Street. Beast Boy, in a lion form, was shaking Plasmus' essence off of his fur, slowly transforming back into a human. "Dude, why can't we fight bad guys who aren't so disgusting?" he whined.

"It can't be any more disgusting than your filthy room," Raven replied, casually brushing debris off her cloak.

"More importantly, I'd like to know how Plasmus keeps waking up and escaping," Cyborg said, changing the subject while trying to empty Plasmus' goo from his sonic cannon.

"You would think they would take special care not to wake someone so dangerous," Starfire added.

Robin was about to respond to Cyborg and Starfire's conversation when he heard an all-too-familiar sound. It was the sound of something moving fast enough to break the sound barrier. Sure enough, as he looked to the sky, he saw the trail of light following the object. These occurrences were not unusual. Starfire was not the only person from another world to visit Jump City. These instances were not always friendly, however. As he looked down, Robin saw that his friends had taken notice of the object, all with worried expressions.

"What was that?" Beast Boy asked, looking awestruck.

Robin's brow furrowed. "Potential trouble. We have to follow it."

The Titans had followed the object as far as the edge of the city, but lost it near the coast. Starfire hovered down to the team, having returned from a search of the area. "I have not been able to locate any signs of this possible danger," she said, a little dejected.

Cyborg checked one of the computer readouts on his arm. "My sensors lost the object's exhaust trail here," he added.

Robin looked around furtively. "Then it has to be here. We have to split up and-"

"Wait! Look," Beast Boy shouted, pointing at the top of Titans Tower.

They all saw it: a tiny glint on the roof of the tower. But it lasted for less than a second before they saw an unusual spaceship lift off and zoom through the air, speeding through the atmosphere, as though desperate to leave Earth behind. Raven glared at it with suspicion. "Looks like it came here for a pit stop," Raven said, breaking the awed silence.

"We need to search the tower; top to bottom. Take note of everything that is missing or out of place," Robin ordered. "We have to know what it wanted with our home."

Each of the Titans had split off on their own to search the tower. Cyborg decided to listen to his instincts, and made his first priority to search his own room. As the door slid open and the lights flickered on, it appeared as though nothing had been touched. However, Cyborg knew better than that. If anyone had any purpose to invade his room, there was one thing they were after. Cyborg flipped open the keyboard to his computer. Using one of his scanners, he found no fingerprints on it. That could be good or that could be bad. All that told him was that if anyone had hacked into it, they did not have fingerprints. They could be like him, having metal hands and fingers. There was only one way to find the answer. He tapped away at the keyboard, his eyes never wavering from the screen. He turned on his communicator shortly, clearly bored with the results. "Cyborg checking in," he said. "No one's tried to log on since I was last in. No files are missing or have been accessed. System looks clean."

Robin had also decided to follow his instincts, and for him it therefore made sense to check the evidence room. This idea of course ran on the assumption that it was a returning villain who had come to the tower. However, after everything they had seen, it was clear that they were very likely dealing with someone they had never met. That did not mean that there were not plenty of dangerous items that anyone could take from this room. To his surprise though, nothing was out of place. "This is Robin," he said into his communicator. "Nothing wrong with the evidence room."

Beast Boy had been assigned to search the common room. Nothing was out of place. He was just glad that no one had touched his Gamestation. However, in his bloodhound form, he was picking up on an unusual scent. It was definitely earthy, musky even, but there were a lot of unfamiliar things about it that he could not place. Not really a surprise since whatever it was came from another planet most likely. He had also noted large indentations in the carpet. "Beast Boy here," he said as he transformed back. "I've found footprints, or hoofprints I should say."

"Hoofprints?" Cyborg inquired.

Robin asked the more important question. "Where do they lead?"

"Dude, they're everywhere. Whatever it was didn't even know where it was going," he replied, observing the confused mass of prints. "I've also got a scent. I can't really describe it, but it leads to the bedrooms. If Raven and Starfire don't find anything, we're good right?"

"Don't be so sure," Robin said.

Raven had decided to start with her own room. There were plenty of relics and unusual items that someone would be willing to steal. Or better yet, an intruder could have picked some of this stuff up, not knowing what it was and gotten into more trouble than they could imagine. Still, nothing had been moved. She had heard Beast Boy's comments, but saw nothing out of the ordinary on her carpet. She was leaving her room to search Robin's when she found more evidence of someone in the tower. "Robin, it's Raven," she said. "I've got two small indentations on the hallway wall."

"How small?" Robin asked.

"I don't know…maybe six inches tall, three inches wide at the bottom and getting smaller towards the top, but only centimeters deep. I don't think this was purposeful; most likely an act of clumsiness," she replied, examining them.

"So what are they?" Beast Boy asked.

"If I knew that, I would have told you." Raven sighed with exasperation.

"Just be cautious in your search," Robin said, ending the conversation.

Starfire had just finished searching Beast Boy's room. She did not genuinely believe anyone would have purposefully gone in there, but given the conversation she had heard from the others, she was not so sure. After hearing them, she had been much quieter in her search. She had even taken to her silent hovering to have the element of surprise over whatever might be in the tower. She suddenly heard something scuttle across the floor. Starbolts at the ready, she took aim in the direction of the sound. Before she could react, Silkie crawled up to her feet. He had been the source of the noise. She let out a gasp of relief. "Silkie!" she said. "Why are you out here, my little bumgorf?"

She picked him up, but noticed he was shaking and squirming to get out of her arms. He was frightened. "Silkie, what is wrong? Why are you- Eep!"

Both of them stopped moving as if paralyzed, as they heard a thud come from Starfire's room. Silkie decided not to wait, and leaped out of Starfire's arms and shuffled away. Starfire then heard something that sounded like a groan from her room. Now she was certain that there was someone in the tower. Summoning her courage, she prepared to open her door and release a barrage of starbolts. Before she could touch the button to slide open her door, their intruder already opened it.

The tower's silence was broken with the sound of an ear-splitting shriek. "Starfire!" Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy cried simultaneously as they rushed from the common room to her aid.

All four of the Titans soon found themselves shocked as they reached the door to Starfire's room. They soon learned that Starfire's shriek of terror had in reality been a squeal of joy. She was engaged in a warm, bone-crushing embrace, with a peculiar looking figure. She also seemed to be engaged in conversation with him, but the language was unknown to them. It was not the angry sounding shouts of Tamaranean, but rather more guttural with some sort of bleating noises to indicate nuance. Nonetheless, they could see by the sparkle in her big, green eyes that the conversation was a friendly one. However, they were still confused. "Uh Starfire?" Raven finally interrupted, breaking the exchange.

Starfire seemed to come back to reality. "Many apologies, friends," she said.

She leaned forward and kissed the stranger. Even for all her unusual behavior on a regular basis, this was considered strange. It was downright disturbing for Robin. Yes, they understood she did this to understand languages, but she seemed to understand his just fine before. "It has been a long time since I have received such a friendly greeting," the stranger said after the kiss.

Starfire noted everyone's face after the action, especially Robin's. "Worry not Robin," she apologized. "This was only a transference of language. Tamaraneans can transfer as well as learn the languages of others through lip contact. Do not be angry." This last sentence was punctuated by a pleading look from her.

"I thought you learned Tamaranean from her," Raven said, turning to Cyborg with a curious glance. "I don't recall it being like that."

He shrugged. "She did offer to teach me the 'Tamaranean' way, but this is not at all like what she described. So I said no thanks. She described it more like something out of _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_."

The fell silent, as they remembered the stranger in their tower. Now that Starfire was not covering him in one of her friendly embraces, they could get a better look at him. Raven easily recognized him as a satyr. He stood about as tall as Cyborg, but his horns, which were rooted on his forehead, just above his eyebrows, gave him at least another half a foot. He had thick, and most likely strong, goat legs, which ended with two wide hooves. His lower half and head were covered in thick blonde fur and hair, though he had no tail. His hair was kept rather short though, and somewhat messy, and his eyes were a milky, white color. His nose was rather large and wide, and covered with a peach fuzz of his blonde fur and ended in a flat, goat-like snout. His ears were mostly human, but slightly pointed. Needless to say, he struck quite a figure. "So you uh…know this guy?" Cyborg asked Starfire.

Starfire beamed, as though she had been waiting forever for someone to ask the question. "Friends," she announced joyfully, "this is the brave warrior, and my beloved childhood friend, Zadkiel. He is a Visirian from the planet Naraka."

A blush rose to his cheeks. "You flatter me. It has been ages since I have heard your voice, Princess Koriand'r."

"It is Starfire here," she replied, "just Starfire. Oh, but you have changed so much since I have last seen you. Your horns, they have finally grown out. And is that the start of a beard?" She gently stroked the side of his face. "But please, you must meet my friends, the Teen Titans."

Beast Boy wasted no time to meet the creature, already a little starstruck. He had been the first to notice the visitor's scars. The worst one was the scar that started just above his left eye and crossed the bridge of his nose."Dude! You are awesome looking!" he said. "Are those scars all from battles?"

"Most of them," he replied. "My people are very proud of their battle scars. They tell stories of our triumphs."

Beast Boy was never one for subtlety. "So how did you get that gnarly one on your face?"

It was now Starfire who blushed. "Actually that was my first," he replied. "It has the best story too. Starfire accidentally gave it to me when we first met. And you are?"

"I'm Beast Boy," he replied, proudly. "You have to tell us that story."

"Raven, do not be so shy," Starfire called to her. "Please, come say the 'hello.'"

Raven hovered forward, looking the figure over carefully. As someone who took notice of other cultures, she was slightly curious at his attire. He wore minimal clothing, though the fur covered much. He had a belt with two long pieces of blue cloth trailing down to his ankles to cover his manhood and behind. He also wore a leather sword belt across one of his shoulders, which carried a short sword hanging on his back, as well as something that looked like a hunting horn, made out of the even larger horn of what was probably a very large and terrifying creature. The only piece of adornment he wore was a chain necklace with a pendant shaped to look like the sun, made out of a metal that shone red, orange, and yellow in different lighting. "So what's your planet like?" she asked.

"It is mostly a desert planet," he replied. "Most of the intelligent species who live there have formed tribes who are mostly at war with each other. I am of the species the Visiri, one of the more powerful tribes. We have possession of the only fertile soil on the planet, the Great Garden, we call it. I was to become guardian of it one day."

He did not notice the puzzled expression on Starfire's face as a result of that last comment. Cyborg stepped forward. Standing next to him, they could tell he was not as bulky as Cyborg, but then his muscles were not as thin and ropey as Beast Boy's or Robin's. "The name's Cyborg. Starfire said your name was-"

"Oh, I suppose I should have given an earthly translation of your name," Starfire said.

"It's not as easy as that," he said. "Your translation of my name is 'merciful one.' Although, as I now understand it, from Starfire giving me the language, that it is for you only a concept, not really a name. Please, call me Zadkiel."

Beast Boy was already struggling to remember it. "Zad- uh Zak-… No, I'm not going to get that one."

Zadkiel only shrugged. Robin was last. He had cooled down some after Starfire had explained the kiss. "Oh Zadkiel," Starfire introduced, "this is my most special friend, Robin. He is what they call on this planet, my boyfriend."

"Any friend of Starfire's is a friend of ours. Welcome," Robin said, holding out his hand.

There was awkward silence for a while as Zadkiel did not respond to the handshake. Robin dropped his hand, annoyed at the awkward pause. "Uh Robin," Starfire said, "I am most pleased that you do not judge another alien by their appearance, but Zadkiel has been blind since birth. He does not see your hand raised for the shake."

Beast Boy was quite surprised. "Blind? Like blind blind?"

Zadkiel nodded his head in the affirmative. "Yes, I experience what you call total blindness."

"But you said you've been in all sorts of battles," Beast Boy objected, "how?"

"My people are already well known for their enhanced senses of smell and hearing," he began. "Being blind, these are even more enhanced for me. I have had to rely on these to survive. Plus, my own tribe has always seen me as weak for having this difference. I have had to work that much harder to prove them wrong."

Robin did not question these statements. He had after all, faced the blind serpent on his journey to learn from the Great Master. It was a bit silent for a while. "Zadkiel," Starfire began, "I must show you all my favorite places on Earth. And I have so many questions. First we will…oh." She looked to her friends. "I had already promised to participate in recreational activities with all of you today."

"Go," Robin said, pleasantly, "it's not every day you have a childhood friend visit. I mean, how long has it been?"

She started running a few quick calculations in her head. "Since Earth and Tamaran are almost equidistant from their suns, I guess it has been almost eight years."

"How long on your planet, goat-boy?" Beast Boy asked.

"Too long," he replied. "Besides, this will be most helpful. These new smells and sounds have been quite disorienting. Some familiarity with your home will help."

"Well, that explains the hoofprints and horn-shaped dents in the wall."

Before anymore could be said, Starfire grabbed Zadkiel by the arm and zoomed off. Everyone stood with confused looks. "What just happened?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy pouted. "Dude, we got blown off for an awesome alien."

"You're not jealous are you, Robin?" Cyborg was clearly prying.

"No, of course not," Robin lied. "He's just a good friend. I hope."

"Well better him than me," Raven quipped. "I've got a good book, and I did not feel like 'journeying to the mall of shopping.'"

XxX

"What do you call this place again?" Zadkiel asked as he and Starfire were walking.

"It is called the park," Starfire replied as she took another sip of mustard. The local hot dog vendor had become so used to her unusual request and no longer batted an eye. "It is a place where one may engage in recreational activities such as picnics, outdoor games, and walking."

When she had first arrived on Earth, she had felt awkward at the stares of curious humans. It did not feel so strange now. She had gotten used to humans and they had gotten used to her. But now, she was starting to have that awkward feeling again, especially now that she knew that the glances were directed at her even more unusual looking friend. Zadkiel was meanwhile inhaling deeply, trying to gather as much of the park's typical smells. "It reminds me of home," he said. "It is like how the Great Garden is the only place on Naraka where one can smell things that are growing. You remember when I took you there?"

How could she forget? For the one patch of fertile land on the planet, it was a veritable paradise, even by Tamaranean standards. "Your friends are quite wonderful," he continued. "So please try and explain Robin to me. He is different from your other friends?"

Starfire only wished she could put it into words. They had not been a couple for long. They had only returned from Japan a few weeks before. "Yes, he is…different," she replied. "He is the human with whom I have been closest to since my arrival on Earth. He is more than just my best friend though. He is someone with whom my time with is special. It is as though I do not wish for it to end. When he is around, I get a strange feeling all over my body, but it is a good strange. He…I have gone on about him too long?"

Zadkiel shook his head. "No, I am glad you have found such comfort, and friends, and…more than friends here on your new home."

Starfire had led him to a bench so that they could sit and continue their conversation. "I have been speaking too much of my time here on Earth," she said. "It is not that I do not enjoy your companionship. I have greatly missed you, but…why is it only now that you seek me out? I thought your father-"

"Things have changed on Naraka," Zadkiel interrupted. "My brother is now the tribe's leader."

"You mean to say that Saraqael-" She could not bring herself to voice the entire thought.

"Yes," Zekiel responded, understanding her thoughts, "and he has banished me from Naraka."

"Banished? But how? Why?"

Zadkiel sighed, trying to find the best explanation. "As it turns out, Saraqael could tolerate me even less than father ever did. I suppose then I should consider myself lucky that father did not abandon me as a child for not having the same bloodlust he and my brothers share. At first, I was not sure where to go after I was banished. I was actually unsure of seeking asylum in Tamaran, as your father had made it clear that my kind were no longer welcome. But then, the whole galaxy had heard of your miraculous escape from slavery and return to Tamaran to assume the position of Grand Ruler. I had hope. I was able to finally obtain travel to Tamaran on a trade ship. Emperor Galfore was welcoming, as he did remember me, but he told me of your new home and how happy you had been there. He did offer me refuge in Tamaran, but suggested I might find that same happiness here on Earth. It took some time, but I was able to convince another trade ship to take me to the coordinates he had given."

Starfire nodded a silent approval to Galfore. While he would have tried to see to it that Zadkiel was treated fairly, he would never have been fully accepted on Tamaran. "He also sends you news from home," Zadkiel continued, his tone becoming more distressed.

This made her equally worried. "What is it?"

"It is Blackfire. Ever since you exiled her from Tamaran, Galfore has had guards keep a close watch over her. Now though, they have lost her."

Starfire breathed in deeply. She knew this was no accident. Blackfire had managed to get loose from the close watch she had tried to keep on her. With no knowledge of her whereabouts, she could be anywhere, although Starfire had a pretty good guess of where she was heading. The bigger question though is where she would stop along the way. Would she gain the help of some poor lackey from another planet? Would she acquire an army? Would she destroy Tamaran first? Starfire could prepare all she wanted for her sister's return, but it was waiting for what would happen in between that would be the most agonizing. Zadkiel was becoming concerned at his friend's sudden silence. "Starfire? Please say something."

"How long has it been since they last saw her?"

"Their last contact with her was, I guess three weeks in Earth time, from the Alnitak system."

Blackfire was then in proximity to Tamaran. This was troublesome. "Do not worry," Zadkiel added, "I know you can handle it."

He gave her an all too familiar sideways grin. Starfire could not help but laugh. "You could always convince me of anything with that smile," she said between giggles. "I suppose that is how we found ourselves in so much trouble when we were small."

She was about to ask more when her communicator let out a high-pitched alarm. "What is that?" Zadkiel groaned, covering his sensitive ears.

"Trouble," Starfire replied, grabbing him by the arm.

XxX

Control Freak had his arsenal prepared, and was shouting his latest monologue. "At last! I will finally get to enact the Ultimate Titan's Challenge."

Villains like him were truly exhausting. "Give it a rest fanboy," Cyborg said. "Aren't you late for some geek convention?"

"Laugh now, Titans," Control Freak retorted, "but you will find that I will have the last laugh. I, Control Freak, as your greatest nemesis know your every move. You don't-"

"Will you shut up?" Cyborg interrupted, charging at Control Freak.

The young villain only smiled as he clicked a few buttons on his improved pack filled with an incredible arsenal of weapons. Suddenly, a wave of repelling, magnetic force surged from the machine, knocking Cyborg back against the side of the building. He hit with a solid crash. Cyborg grunted as he tried to stand back up. Control Freak was ready with a taunting barb. "What's the matter, Cyborg? Afraid to face me? Oh that's right. You never got the chance to see my weapons especially designed for each of you. You were too busy fighting 'real' villains. Well how real am I now?"

A green eagle went zooming by, just in front of Control Freak. "Tsk, tsk, Beast Boy," he said, taking aim at him, "you can do better than that."

He had fallen for Beast Boy's distraction, and while concentrating on him, Cyborg came at him from behind. Control Freak was greeted with a solid kick to the back. He rolled to the ground for a few yards, and was a bit woozy standing. "Hmm…so, you are going to pose a challenge," he said. "Very well then."

This time, Cyborg was prepared for the magnet, and took a careful running start. As Control Freak turned on the magnet, Cyborg made sure to run around its range. Cyborg ran around him in no time, and before any more could be done, he took a firm grip of the magnet, ripping it from the backpack. Control Freak whipped around on him. "I don't think so, Cyborg. I don't approve of cheating."

A handful of small rockets appeared from the pack, blasting Cyborg back yet again.

"What is the trouble?" Starfire asked as she and Zadkiel were the last to arrive on the scene.

"Control Freak," Cyborg said. "Time to hit mute on this guy."

Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon at Control Freak, who did not seem fazed. He sent a solid blast in the villain's direction. A domed object appeared, redirecting the blast back towards Cyborg. The blast took out the stone balcony on the building above him, burying Cyborg in a pile of rubble before he had time to react, while Zadkiel covered his ears.

With a shared nod, Robin and Beast Boy took over the offensive. Turning into an armadillo, Beast Boy curled up into a balled position. Like a hockey stick, Robin used his staff to knock Beast Boy in the direction of Control Freak. This took the villain by surprise and knocked him on the side of his head. "Betcha didn't see that one coming did ya?" Beast Boy cheered.

The Titans were not going to go down easy; that much was certain, Control Freak realized, but he still had so many surprises up his sleeve. "True, you are the wild card of the Titans," Control Freak said, trying to sound more confident than he really was, "but two against one just isn't fair, now is it?"

Beast Boy shifted into a tiger form and leaped at Control Freak. He only yawned and casually pressed a button, shooting an electrically charged cage, capturing Beast Boy. Try as he might, it prevented him from transforming into anything big enough to break through. Even turning into a mouse to slip through the bars proved futile as the electric charge gave him a zap as he tried to escape. Robin found Control Freak just as difficult to fight as several pairs of mechanical arms sprung from the backpack and proved able to block all of his kicks and punches. This proceeded to only make Robin frustrated and exhausted. "Give it up Robin!" Control Freak shouted, triumphantly. "I've studied all your moves and have programmed them all into this. You can't- Hey!"

A green bolt of radioactive energy broke one of the arms off, leaving a pile of sparking wires. Starfire was directly above him, her eyes glowing with fury. Robin took advantage of Control Freak's focus on her, and put some distance between him and the villain. Starfire was accurate in her attacks, to be sure, but it was still a good idea to not even have the possibility of coming between her and a target. This finally broke Control Freak's confidence for a moment, as he no longer had a quip to respond with. He decided his best use of time was getting away, while fumbling with his remote to find his best defense. Though, to call it running away was an overstatement, and taking Starfire's speed into account, he really stood little chance. He looked behind him, to find that she had gone, only to run headlong into her just up ahead. Running into the Tamaranean felt more like being hit by a truck. She was already hovering over him, ready to throw a low-powered starbolt by the time he was able to focus once more. He used his remote to quickly throw up a force field, just as a barrage of starbolts pounded the ground. She was not finished there though, choosing to uproot a parking meter as her weapon of choice. "I hate to do this, Starfire," Control Freak said, with just a hint of longing, "but I can't have you getting in the way of my greatest victory."

With that he launched one of his atomic resistor capsules, trapping her in a red orb. Starfire fell straight to the ground. No matter her efforts, her starbolts could not release her. Meanwhile, Robin immediately went back to attacking Control Freak with his staff. Even though he was short one of his mechanical arms, he could still put up a fight with Robin. If there were not so many arms, Robin might have been able to get close enough to strike Control Freak and the control panel of his backpack. Suddenly, a car, surrounded by a magical aura started flying at the two of them. Control Freak only missed it by a few inches. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, sending another spell his way.

It was more than just a single spell. Bolts of energy struck at him repeatedly, pushing Control Freak back a few yards with every hit. She had him cornered as she backed him up against a storefront. Raven was ready to end this fight with such a pathetic villain, and surrounded him with her own force field, hoping to entrap him. The force field cackled, giving Control Freak mild shocks. He struggled and thrashed about for a few minutes until he could gain some control of his hands. It was then that he revealed the gloves he was wearing. They were metallic and made a whirring noise as he turned them on. Raven's spell was absorbed into the gloves, alieving his pain. He flicked another switch and the gloves sent her spell back at her, encapsulating her in a dark box of her own magic, but there was something wrong. She could not get herself out of it. He had somehow altered her magic to prevent her from neutralizing it. Control Freak smirked to himself, but it did not last long.

Robin had, once again, set upon him. That was one thing the fan boy admired most about the hero; he was relentless. But now was not the time for it. Robin, however, still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Yes, Control Freak had programed his mechanical arms to parry all of his usual moves, but there were still a few he had never used, mostly because he tried hard to forget his time as apprentice to Slade. Swiftly, he flipped into a handstand, grabbing one of the mechanical arms with his legs. Continuing the flip, he threw Control Freak a fair distance, bending one of the mechanical arms beyond repair. He was nowhere near finished. No one messed with his team. In all the chaos of his arsenal falling apart, Control Freak was not prepared for the next wave of Robin's martial arts. He was knocked about like a ragdoll, and rolled in a heap across the street. Control Freak had one last ditch plan. He only hoped Robin was as predictable as he had planned. Sure enough, Control Freak heard an all too familiar sound of something whizzing through the air. Sure enough, it was a series of birdarangs. Control Freak only shook his head. "Disappointing."

With only a flick of a switch, he blasted them out of the air. There was only one still flying, and at this he launched a hand-shaped blocker, which pushed it back at Robin. It exploded before he could react, leaving him passed out in the crater in the street created by the birdarang. Control Freak cackled, his confidence returning. "That was almost pathetic. I was expecting a real show from you Titans. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Zadkiel inquired, worriedly as he ran out to help Robin up.

Robin groaned. His own weapons really packed a punch, and it was certainly painful being on the receiving end. "Wishful thinking," he said as he wobbled to his feet. "No offense, but you are still getting used to this planet. So how do you know-"

"If I am correct, I am to attack the…uh boy who reeks of putrid-smelling oils and enjoys the sound of his voice, yes?"

He had to concede him that point. "Ok, maybe you've got a chance. He doesn't know you or what you can do."

Zadkiel nodded. "You free the others. I will see to this 'Control Freak.'"

Control Freak was meanwhile raiding a video store. He muttered to himself as he flicked through the tapes. "Junk, junk, junk. They gave Star Raiders one and a half stars! No one can appreciate real art."

"You are Control Freak? I challenge you to defeat me!" Zadkiel shouted, trying to get Control Freak's attention.

Control Freak scoffed. "And who are you supposed to be? You're not a Teen Titan."

"Maybe not, but then, as I understand it, you are not a real villain. So we are even." He had him angry now.

Control Freak accepted the challenge. "You'll be no problem. You can't be any harder to capture than Beast Boy."

With that, he launched another electrically charged cage. Zadkiel's ears twitched ever so slightly as he heard the zap of the electricity. Swiftly, he dodged the attack. "My turn," he said with his sideways grin.

With a twitch of his back muscles, two golden, dragon-like wings morphed out of his back. Control Freak's eyes widened in surprise. His voice cracked as he tried to eke out his next words. "You can fly?"

Without answering, Zadkiel kicked off into the air, his golden wings flapping lightly, allowing him to glide just over the ground, going full throttle at Control Freak. The villain scrambled frantically to push some buttons and managed to launch some of the blockers he had used against Robin at the alien, hoping to stop his flight. Hearing the whizzing sound coming towards him, Zadkiel responded quickly as he made bright flames burst from his hands, burning the blockers to ashes. "Oh come on!" Control Freak whined. "You can shoot fire too?"

But Zadkiel showed no signs of slowing, now launching a steady stream of flames to the ground, getting closer to Control Freak. With a high pitched shriek, the boy ran, trying to dodge the two beams of fire, shooting from each of the alien's hands. Control Freak ran around a corner, trying to catch his breath. Zadkiel stopped launching his fire as he lost his target's footsteps. Without knowledge of the city, he found himself running headlong into a building. The crash landing shook him up a bit, but he had suffered no major injury. In the meantime, Control Freak came incredibly close to being hit with loose debris. Behind him, he saw Raven with an awful scowl on her face. Control Freak made a run to get out of her sight, finding his challenger just ahead. Control Freak taunted him to show he was not afraid. "Doesn't do much for you if you can't see!"

"Which is why I prefer my hearing," Zadkiel retorted.

"Oh…" Control Freak said, realizing his stupidity.

Zadkiel now drew his sword. Using his ability to generate flames from his hands, he transferred the fire to his sword. "Now where were we?" he said, smiling as he held the flaming sword close.

With a shout, Zadkiel ran straight for Control Freak. Control Freak quickly took control of his mechanical arms to parry the swings of Zadkiel's sword. For some time, it was the clanging sound of metal against metal. Zadkiel's fury kept him swinging wildly at the boy. Control Freak could almost not keep up. His machine was programed to block Robin's moves, not this creature's frenzied attacks. Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound. One of the mechanical arms had caught fire and sparks were shooting from the wiring. It did not take long for the arm to give and fall to the ground. Control Freak wasted no time to break away from the fight. He was smarter this time and tried not to make a sound. Beast Boy was coming around a corner, transformed into a triceratops, and eager to get back at Control Freak. Robin came around from the other corner, forcing him ahead. He was now only a pawn to the Titans, who were leading him into the open. Zadkiel was no fool either and took a deep breath as he sheathed his sword. With Control Freak's unique odor in his nostrils, he turned to face him, slowly pulling his war-horn from off his back. Control Freak wheezed, but still tried to sound assertive and in control of the situation. "What are you going to do now, sing me to sleep?"

"Just see what happens," Zadkiel retorted.

This time, Control Freak tried launching one of his atomic resistor capsules at him. If Starfire's starbolts could not break them, surely this thing could not break free. As the orb flew, Zadkiel inhaled deeply, his chest expanding far beyond that of any human. While doing so, he put his horn to his lips and blew. The ground shook beneath the two as the horn's blast resounded throughout the city. The orb cracked in midair and shattered into hundreds of pieces. "It's no fair!" Control Freak tried to shout over the sound of the horn.

With his last bit of willpower, Control Freak pushed several more buttons, starting up the gloves, using what last, little bit of Raven's magic he could, knocking Zadkiel's sword and horn at least fifty yards away. "You cannot defeat me," Control Freak shouted through labored breathing, "I am the Teen Titan's greatest nemesis, and you are nothing. You are just some savage creature!"

Zadkiel glowered at the boy. Control Freak could see the change in expression in Zadkiel's face. There was nothing there but seething anger, bloodlust really. Zadkiel ignited the power of fire he controlled, ready to hit him with everything he had. But then, a tender hand touched his shoulder, snapping him out of it. "We can assist now," Starfire said calmly.

Control Freak was ready for another wave of attacks. "I have one last idea," Zadkiel replied, with a smile Starfire knew all too well.

"You mean-" she asked, hopefully.

"You lead," he said, "I will follow."

Both took to the air, raising higher and higher, far above some of the tallest skyscrapers. "What are they doing?" Control Freak asked, awestruck instead of trying to get away.

His question was soon answered. As they reached the apex of their flight, they slowed down and encircled each other, drawing closer. In a moment, the two brought themselves together, touching the palms of their hands. Starfire now turned their direction so that they now faced downward. Zadkiel turned in his wings ever so slightly. It soon became apparent that the two were engaged in a spinning freefall. Starfire, being the one to see, kept their direction aimed at Control Freak. All the way down, an incredible power flowed between the two. As their hands were locked together, Starfire's starbolts merged with Zadkiel's powerful jet of flames, creating a magnificent beam of radioactive flames following Control Freak. As the villain ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, the combined powers of the two struck directly at his backpack arsenal, completely obliterating it. Goal accomplished, Starfire unlocked her palms from Zadkiel and tried to redirect their inertia to keep them from hitting a wall. The two landed safely behind Control Freak. Despite being caught, he was still the fanboy at heart and gushed. "And you have power moves with Starfire? It's not fair. C'mon, only Raven can do that with her."

"Life's tough," Cyborg said, picking Control Freak up by his coat collar, "and then in your case, you go to jail."

"That was awesome!" Beast Boy exclaimed, just bursting with excitement as they were taking Control Freak to jail. "You're like having Hot Spot, Wildebeest, and Herald all at once…but with wings. Dude, where did those even come from?"

Zadkiel shrugged, never having considered his abilities anything but ordinary. "My people have always had them, but we keep them hidden until we need them."

"And the flames?" Beast Boy continued.

"That's just an ability my people have. It is a part of our soul, our inner fire we call it."

"What's even cooler is that you can transfer that to other weapons," Cyborg added.

"And this horn," Beast Boy exclaimed, grabbing it out of Zadkiel's hands, "is it magic or something?"

Beast Boy tried his hand at blowing it, only succeeding in emitting a horrible squeak. Zadkiel snatched it back, shaking his head, but soon softening. "It is all in the lungs," he said. "For my people, our lungs are the largest of our internal organs. We can expand them further in proportion to most creatures. It is this part of our physiology that has made our cultural practices revolve around music. This horn is only special in that it reverberates sound better than most. When blown with enough force, it creates the effects you have just witnessed."

Raven only raised an eyebrow. "And that move you were able to do with Starfire?"

Both he and Starfire shrugged. "It is something we discovered when we were quite small," Starfire replied.

"We have never been able to understand how it is possible though," Zadkiel added.

"Well whatever it is," Cyborg said, redirecting the conversation, "you've got some sweet moves. We could use that on the team." He noticed a look from Robin. "That is, if everyone is in agreement.

Starfire beamed. "Oh but of course! You must stay with us. You said you have been needing a place to call home."

"What she said," Beast Boy added. "I mean, you are one awesome alien."

Raven looked him over again. She had not forgotten the last time they had someone join their team. "You trust him?" Raven asked, looking at Starfire.

"More than anyone," she replied, a little offended.

"You heard her then," Raven said to Zadkiel. "Screw it up, and there will be no end to what I will do to you."

"Duly noted." Zadkiel nodded.

All eyes now turned to Robin. He was silent for a long time, but then slowly approached Zadkiel, grabbing his hand. "We really could use someone like you," he said, shooting a knowing smile to Starfire, "and I already had a hunch that you would be staying with us for a while."

Robin had placed a Titan communicator in his hand. Zadkiel could not see exactly what it was, but felt the significance of the moment. "You know, we are going to have to call you something," Robin added. "You need a name that will command respect as a hero."

"Well," Raven thought out loud, "based on looks alone, he has more in common with a demon. But, based on the flaming sword, the horn, and the fact that he uses his powers for good, I would argue that he is similar to the concept of an archangel."

"Archangel," Cyborg repeated, "that's actually a pretty good name. It sounds perfect for a hero. And hey, we could call you Archie for short."

Zadkiel smiled. "I like it too," he said, "but please, someone needs to explain to me what an archangel is."

Beast Boy was disappointed he did not get to share his own idea. "Aw man, I kinda liked Goat Boy."

"Not a chance," Raven replied.

"Oh this is most glorious!" Starfire exclaimed. "All of my friends are united for the ultimate good. This is cause for celebration."

"Whoo! I'm breaking out the soy ice cream," Beast Boy hollered.

"Oh I know you didn't just use the words 'soy' and 'ice cream' together," Cyborg shouted as Beast Boy ran ahead.

"And I am to understand that these two are best friends?" Archangel said. "They certainly do not act like it."

"You have no idea," Robin said as he continued to talk with the new Titan as they walked home.

Starfire smiled to herself and was about to begin her flight home when a hand reached out to her. "Starfire, wait," Raven said, "I want to talk. You said you now had _all_ your friends here. Was Archangel your only childhood friend?"

Starfire was a little taken aback by Raven's sudden concern for her, but she appreciated it nonetheless. "When you are the child of the royal family of Tamaran, you do not meet many other children your age unless it is under political pretenses," she replied, "and I never had many opportunities to venture outside the palace."

She sighed. Raven however, was still curious. "Political pretenses?" she repeated. "Under what circumstances did you meet him?"

"Well, he and I were betrothed for two years when we were small," she responded. "I believe I had just celebrated the sixth anniversary of my birth when-"

"You two were engaged?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"Raven, you have seen this all done once before," Starfire said, confused by her friend's reaction. "This should come as no surprise to you."

"So, you are going to tell Robin?"

"Well, truthfully I am not sure. I fear that Robin may feel jealous. But, this is something that is in the past for both of us. We were quite young, and we really did not think about it very much. And Zadkiel, I mean Archie, has no intention of-"

"Starfire, you really should tell him," Raven interrupted. "For you this seems like nothing, but if you do not tell him, then this nothing ceases to be nothing. Do you understand?"

"I believe so." Starfire sighed, and the two girls caught up to the rest of the team.

XxX

"And this is my little bumgorf, Silkie," Starfire said as she placed the mutant larva in Archangel's hands.

The Titans had welcomed their new member with open arms, none more so than Starfire, who had personally taken upon herself to give him a tour of the tower. "Oh…you have developed a maternal bond for this…thing," he said, a little disgusted as it squirmed in his arms, making a series of gurgles and squeals, "terrific."

"You do not like him?" Starfire asked, a little hurt.

"Well, he is certainly…interesting," he said as Silkie began crawling up his shoulder.

Starfire quickly returned to her perky self. "Glorious! I knew you two would get along."

She took the creature off his back and began to tickle its belly. "Did that thing look as bad as it felt, smelled, and sounded like?" he whispered to Raven.

"Worse," she replied.

"So how-"

"It's a face only a mother could love," Raven interrupted.

Beast Boy then let out a mighty yawn. "This day's been exhausting," he said between yawns. "If you need me, I'll be catching some Z's."

"I need to charge for the night anyway," Cyborg agreed.

The other Titans followed suit, deciding to call it a day. Starfire soon returned to the common room with some blankets as Archangel made himself comfortable on the couch. "Cyborg and I shall begin work on your own sleeping quarters tomorrow," Starfire said. "You know, you do not have to sleep out here. Beast Boy has a spare bed, and there is also-"

"It is fine," Archangel replied. "Besides, I did not wish to say anything to Beast Boy, but it does smell as if something is rotting in his room."

Starfire smiled to herself. "Well, good night," she said after a long silence.

"Good night," he said back.

Just as he was about to settle in, Starfire turned and hugged him tightly. Archangel returned the embrace, opening up his wings and fully enclosing her in the embrace. "I have missed you greatly Zadkiel…I mean, Archangel."

"I have missed you as well, Princess Koriand'r…I mean, Starfire," he whispered back.

The two shared a friendly smile. Starfire always knew that he could not see her smile, but she also felt that he always could tell anyway. Starfire went to bed and Archangel began spreading a blanket and trying to go to sleep. He tossed and turned for some time, and eventually gave up. He was quite sure that everyone else had fallen asleep. As quietly as he could, he left the common room. He had paid careful attention to Starfire's tour of the tower, especially when she had relayed directions to the roof. He snuck to the door leading to the roof, carefully trying not to make a sound. As he took a few steps outside, he could feel the crisp night air and heard the crashing of waves against the shores of the island. He was silent, but his mind was quite busy. He certainly felt uneasy. Shortly later, he heard the flapping of wings. "Quite impressive," a voice said, followed by the soft sound of hooves landing on the roof. "You gained their complete trust in less than a day's time on this worthless planet."

"Do you have anything better to do than following me?" Archangel asked, a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"I think I am exactly where I need to be," the voice replied, placing a hand on the new Titan's shoulder. "Now, you must remember, you have been given an assignment. I trust you will deliver on it swiftly?"

Archangel snorted. Some things never changed. "That was always your problem; you have always been impatient. When will you learn that you must sow the seeds before you can harvest the fruit?"

He revealed a handful of seeds he had been carrying with him. His visitor only scoffed. "I do not have time for your foolish gardening metaphors. However, you have piqued my interest. What are they?"

"They are my business."

"Be that as it may," the voice said, once again taking charge, "if I suspect you of trying to sabotage this, I will step in." He grabbed Archangel by the throat. "And you can be certain that I will not be so merciful. I saw your little exchange with her. I will be watching."

XxX

Control Freak always made it a point to carry a video camera on his person at all times to record his adversaries' moves. He had managed to salvage the one he had that day, and wasted no time uploading it to the internet before his guards could notice. As fate would have it, someone had taken great interest in the footage of the Titan's newest member. "Most interesting," Slade said as he poured over every second of the video.

It was a very rare situation, but Slade soon found himself caught unaware as he was startled by the sound of crashing metal. The door to the main room of his latest lair was blown open by a magenta colored energy. Without so much as a greeting, in stepped Blackfire. "I was expecting something more spectacular," she said, observing her new surroundings, clearly not all that impressed.

"It serves its purposes," Slade said, regaining composure after the sudden outburst. "What I would like to know now is to whom I owe this pleasure?"

Blackfire only shrugged, not really answering his question. "I hear you teach skills that no one else can offer, and that you are searching for someone to teach. I also hear you have a habit of trying to destroy my pesky sister and her friends."

"Your sister?" Slade repeated, observing his intruder. "Ah yes, I see it now. Starfire?"

"Let's not say that name," Blackfire said through gritted teeth.

"Quite a bone to pick," Slade said. "I see what you would get out of an arrangement with me, but tell me, what do I get in return?"

Blackfire began to stroll around the room, never directly looking at Slade. She wanted to be the one in control of the conversation. "As I understand, you have a desire to leave a legacy of crime through your pupils, but have had no success as of yet. I can be that legacy. And I am better than any student you could find on Earth. I can take your legacy to the farthest reaches of the galaxy."

Slade was not so easily impressed. "Pardon me for being too quick to refuse, but I do not just take any apprentice who asks for it. I like to make the selection myself based on their skills."

Blackfire only responded with a wicked grin and began to launch a barrage of starbolts at Slade. With his usual finesse, he was able to dodge them. Gritting her teeth, she tried to hit him with the beams from her eyes. Slade once again was quick and was almost behind Blackfire before she could realize it. Using her Tamaranean strength as her last resort, she tried to take on Slade in hand to hand combat. This fight proved to be more evenly matched as the two matched each other blow for blow. Blackfire was starting to feel the strain, but in one last ditch effort, she struck him with a powerful right hook, knocking him to the ground. Slowly he stood up. "Really, you only match your sister in power, but you certainly have more ambition. And there is potential; quite a bit of potential really. I think I should have very much use for an apprentice like you."

Blackfire was a little taken aback by his comment about her powers. "You dare say I am equal to her!" she shouted. "I always was the better fighter. I was the one who-"

She was stopped short as Slade struck her across the face. Blackfire lay in a heap, shocked. She touched the burning spot on the side of her face where he had struck her. "Consider this lesson one: having an attitude like that is what gets you defeated. Never underestimate your opponents, and never, ever underestimate your allies. I had to learn that the hard way. Watch their every move. Acknowledge their strengths. It is only then that you can plant the seeds of doubt in their minds. You have much to learn before you can seek your revenge on your sister."

Blackfire rubbed at the painful spot on her face. "Don't worry, waiting only makes me even more eager to see my dear sister."


	2. Episode 2: Date Night

**Episode 2: Date Night**

 **Disclaimer:** _I still own nothing of the Teen Titans. Darn!_

 **The Palace of Tamaran, Training Grounds, 11 Years Ago:**

A magenta starbolt blasted through a wooden target with incredible force. An eight-year-old Blackfire smirked with pride as she saw the results of her attack. "Wonderful technique, Princess Komand'r," Galfore said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "but make sure you are aiming for the center of the target."

Blackfire, Starfire, and Galfore were the only inhabitants of the royal, training grounds that morning. Blackfire had been displaying magnificent improvement in her skills, as was becoming of the heir to Tamaran. Starfire was not having as much luck. True, she was only five and still trying to learn how to use her ability for starbolts, but that did not shake her feelings of disappointment as her blasts of green energy only dissipated midair. She sighed as her latest attempt did not even make it halfway to her target. It was only then that Galfore decided to step in. She could not bring herself to look him in the eyes.

"I think your problem is that you are not releasing the right emotion," Galfore said, gently bringing her face to meet his. "Remember, it is righteous fury, not just anger you must channel. Although, I suppose that is not your fault. You are still young, Koriand'r. You know that we do not enjoy war. We do not take pleasure out of fighting. We only fight when we have to. It is only when you have the right reason to fight that you can access that fury and unleash your power. You have been fortunate to not have seen the suffering and injustice done to others. But unfortunately, you will, and you will find your righteous fury."

Starfire looked quizzically at Blackfire, who had taken to practicing her attacks while flying. "Has Komand'r seen such things?" she asked Galfore.

"No, princess," he admitted, "but she does have her reason to fight. As future Grand Ruler, the protection of Tamaran will always be her reason. One day, when you are much older, you will marry the noble of another planet, as your way of protecting Tamaran. Then, it will become part of your job to protect your new home, wherever it may be."

Starfire nodded and smiled weakly. It had only been recently that she had been made aware of her purpose within the royal family. She was not just second in line for the throne, but a key figure in Tamaran's future alliances. She did not understand all of it, but even so, felt uneasy about it. She was about to ask more when the sound of gorka pipes interrupted their session. All three quickly kneeled as Emperor Myand'r entered. "I was told I would find you here," he said to Galfore. "If time permits, I would like to speak to you about our arriving guest from the Centauri Moons. I understand you traveled there extensively years ago."

"At once, your majesty," Galfore replied, "but first, your daughters have been studious in their training. I think you would be quite pleased."

The emperor gave a small smile. "Of course. I would be most honored to," he said.

Galfore gave a nod and encouraging smile to Starfire. She swallowed hard. She knew she was not ready, but eager to get it over with, she took to the sky. She began with the flying obstacles first. Flying had become almost second nature to her, almost like breathing. It was the series of targets up ahead that made her unsure. She tried her hardest to access righteous fury. She could feel the energy flowing through her palms, like always. The question was, would it last? She finally let the energy release from her hand, and for the first time, it hit the target, but it did nothing more than bounce off and shake it a little. She landed safely and kneeled before her father. "I am still learning," she said, nervously.

His smile never faded as he chuckled, but your flying had greatly improved."

Starfire smiled back, and felt a little more at ease. Blackfire was about to jump out of her skin, she was so excited. Imagine what he would think of her skills. With the go ahead from Galfore, she began. Blackfire was more straightforward with her flying and sometimes forced her way through some of the obstacles. She was after all, beginning to develop her Tamaranean strength. With minimal effort, she had blasted through all her targets, though avoiding the debris in mid-flight was a bit of a challenge. She landed before her father, quite pleased with herself. "Impressive," he said, "but…that was a bit reckless out there. You cannot simply demolish all obstacles in your way. That is not who we are. That is not how the future Grand Ruler should carry herself. It is also how you open yourself up to vulnerability. And you should not take such pleasure in it. This training is only out of necessity. Galfore, perhaps you will meet with me after they have finished."

Galfore nodded. Blackfire seethed with anger. That was her best run on the training fields, and it had been met with nothing but criticism. There was envy in her heart as well. Starfire had accomplished so little, and she barely heard a word about it. What did she have to do to prove herself? Blackfire found herself wondering that more often than she liked. She knew somewhere in her heart that her parents were only trying to raise her to be the best she could be, but would it have killed them to at least acknowledge the progress she had made? It was true, there was not as much expected of Starfire since she was the second born, but what did she do to be so special? If anything, Blackfire thought, she had always seen her sister as quite odd. Starfire, it seemed, did not always fit in. She did not have the same warrior spirit as other Tamaraneans. "I thought you performed very well sister," Starfire said, cheerfully. "I just wish that I-"

Blackfire could not stand to hear her voice right now. In an instant, she turned and blasted Starfire with one of her starbolts, sending the child colliding with the ground. "Well you can't!" Blackfire yelled. "You know why? Because you are weak and you always will be."

Tears started to form in Starfire's big, green eyes. "What? You're going to cry now?" Blackfire launched another starbolt. Starfire only barely missed being hit again. "Tamaraneans don't cry. They fight back."

Starfire looked to Galfore, who had become aware of the fight. He glowered at Blackfire, but spoke to Starfire. "I will not stop you if you strike back," he said through gritted teeth.

Starfire looked at her sister and could feel the fury rising through her body. A starbolt started to form in her hand, but this time, the fury was so strong, she could feel it illuminating in her eyes. She knew this was the power Galfore had spoken of, and she would have released it at her sister then and there. However, she did love her sister, and therefore could not bring herself to do it. She let the energy dissipate. Blackfire smirked, thinking she had won. "I thought so. You really are weak."

She stormed away, leaving Starfire scared and confused. Glafore kneeled down beside her, and picked her up in his massive hands. She wrapped her arms as far as she could around his neck, quietly sobbing. She did not understand her sister's outburst, and was greatly troubled by it. Even more troubling was what her sister had said. "Galfore, am I really weak like Komand'r says?"

Galfore sighed, trying to think of the right words to put her mind at ease. True, she was different from most Tamaraneans in that she was more openly affectionate to others, and that she was not as outwardly aggressive as Tamaraneans presented themselves to others. But what was the true measure of weakness he thought. "Koriand'r," he said, at last, "I have traveled far and wide over the galaxy, and I have learned much from other cultures. What you did today, some would consider the greatest of strengths."

* * *

 **Titans' Tower, Present Day:**

Archangel was standing in the common room of Titan's Tower, while Cyborg and Beast Boy were looking him over. This felt incredibly awkward in his opinion, but he did not want to offend his new friends. He had been living with the Titans only a few days and wanted to make a good impression. This however, was just strange. "Now that you're one of us," Beast Boy said, "we really need to come up with a look for you. It needs to be something that says 'new hero on the block.'"

"What is wrong with my cultural attire?" Archangel asked, shifting nervously on his large hooves.

"Well that's just it," Cyborg added, "there's not a lot there. Normally, I would say don't take fashion advice from Beast Boy, but he's right. Something is missing."

Just then, Raven came walking in, carrying one of her cloaks. This one however, looked incredibly faded and as though it had been through a shredder. "Okay, which one of you two put bleach in with the colors and set the washer to frappe?" she said with a scowl, directing her question to Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating?" Cyborg replied with a shrug.

Her only response was holding up what was left of the cloak. "Wasn't me," Cyborg said, throwing Beast Boy under the bus.

Beast Boy flashed a sheepish grin, hoping she would not strangle him. Raven was not amused. Beast Boy gulped, trying to change the subject. "Uh Raven, we're trying to come up with a look for Archie. Something's missing, and we can't figure out what. Thoughts?"

Raven still held a scowl on her face, but did take a look at the new Titan. He already stood out enough. He looked like a satyr with blonde hair and fur. But after thinking for a moment, she took her destroyed cloak and tore off a thin strip that was still somewhat intact. She then wrapped it around Archangel's white eyes, being careful not to cover up his pointed ears and tied it tight. "I do not understand," Archangel said when she was done. "I am already blind. What good is covering my eyes?"

"It's symbolic. It gives you more a 'blind justice' look," she said. Archangel only gave her a quizzical look with his eyebrows. "I'll explain later."

"Actually, that really pulls it together," Cyborg complimented. "I forgot, though. I wanted to give you this. I noticed that my sonic cannon is a little hard on your ears. This device should keep that sound from disorienting you. It's calibrated exactly to my sonic cannon, but it should not affect your hearing in any other way."

Cyborg clipped a small device on the edge of Archangel's right ear. It was barely noticeable, but it would prove helpful. Meanwhile, Starfire came hovering by, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Hey Star, check it out," Beast Boy called, "Archangel's finally got his hero look. What do you think? Now we don't have to look at those creepy, blank eyes of his." Everyone shot him a look. "Did I say 'creepy?' I meant uh…"

"I am confused," Starfire said. "Archie is already blind. Why does he need to cover his eyes? It also conceals his scar."

Raven sighed. "I give up."

"So Star," Beast Boy said, "Cyborg and I were thinking of having a horror movie marathon. Want to join in?"

"I apologize friends," Starfire replied, "Robin and I will not be attending any nocturnal activities with you tonight. Perhaps some other time?"

She floated away. Beast Boy groaned, coming to a realization. "Aw man, I forgot. It's Thursday."

"Is that important?" Archangel asked, clearly confused.

"It's date night," Cyborg replied, "for Robin and Starfire anyway. Now that they are a couple, they've been trying to make time to hang out with each other…you know, without us."

Beast Boy began to whine, flopping on the couch. "And we're stuck here with nothing to do but patrol duty. It's so boring. I don't know how Robin used to do it all the time."

Raven also sat down, opening a rather large book. "Sometimes we have to do jobs we don't want to," she said. "Besides, I think it is better that this work isn't always falling on Robin and he can finally take time to take a break."

Beast Boy continued to complain. "Yeah, well we need a break too. I mean, when was the last time any of us went out anywhere?"

Raven looked up from her book. "Four days ago, you blew all the spare change you found in the couch at the arcade."

Beast Boy squealed in disbelief. "Four days! That was like forever ago."

Raven rolled her eyes and continued reading. Cyborg was still thinking. "Beast Boy does have a point though," he added. "When was the last time we all went anywhere all together?"

Everyone took a while to think on that question, but could not come up with a recent answer. At last, Archangel spoke up. "I do not understand," he said. "The Titan communicators are all connected to the main frame. If anything were to go wrong, we would always know. So what is stopping us from leaving to have the 'night on the town,' as you say?"

"Robin would have all of our heads," Raven replied. "The tower is the one place in the city where we are able to easily get anywhere in the least amount of time."

"Hold on now," Beast Boy interrupted," goat boy may be on to something here. I've got an idea."

In an instant, he had run to his room and zipped back to the group, holding a flyer. "This place just opened. It's perfect for our idea."

Cyborg snatched the flyer and read. " _Splatter's Glow in the Dark Paintball and Arcade._ This does sound pretty cool…"

Raven made the flyer levitate out of Cyborg's hand so that she could read. "It's on the far edge of downtown," she added. "What if we're needed on the other side? That puts us at a disadvantage."

Beast Boy resorted to pleading. "Aw come on Raven. If Robin and Starfire get to go out, why can't we?"

Raven only sighed. "Whatever. Go get whatever it is out of your system. I'll stay here and be the responsible one."

"Wait, you are not coming with us?" Archangel asked.

"Raven, you gotta come with us," Beast Boy begged. "The whole point is so that we can all do something together."

Raven slammed her book shut with an exasperated look. She knew that she was not going to get any reading done. "I don't 'gotta' do anything. I have a good book and I'm happy with just staying here."

"It's not going to be the same without you," Cyborg said, adding to the begging. "Besides, it's in the creepy part of downtown, you know, where your favorite café is."

She looked at all three of them. "You're not going to stop unless I go aren't you?" They all nodded. She sighed, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. "If I go, will you all shut up?"

"Cross my heart!" Beast Boy beamed.

Raven groaned. "Too late."

XxX

As evening drew closer, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Archangel pretended to act as though nothing were out of the ordinary. They had decided to keep their plans secret from Robin and Starfire, especially Robin. They were watching TV when Robin stepped in the common room. He was wearing jeans and a dress shirt with a sport coat, still wearing his mask. "Well that's certainly an interesting look," Cyborg commented, noting Robin's choice of apparel. "Sorry, but 'casual superhero' just doesn't sound chic right now. You're sure you couldn't lose the mask for one night?"

Robin ignored the comment. "Cyborg, you're in charge tonight," he said, following up with a look to Beast Boy. "Don't do anything stupid."

Starfire entered before Beast Boy could offer a rebuttal. Her attire was not so different from her ordinary outfit, except that it was a dress which covered her midriff and was slightly longer. "Looking good Star," Beast Boy said instead.

She smiled. "I was told that this was more appropriate for something more formal as the date."

"Casual, yet classy," Cyborg added. "See, now Starfire knows style."

Robin only raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "Just hold down the fort. The movie ends at eleven. We should be back shortly after then."

"Goodbye friends. I am sorry to not engage in your nocturnal activities tonight. Perhaps we may do the hanging out tomorrow?"

"Sure, whatever you say," Cyborg said, giving the couple a gentle shove towards the door. "You two crazy, love birds have fun."

The door shut behind them before Robin had a chance to question Cyborg's sudden enthusiasm. "Now then," Cyborg said, a huge grin on his face, "you heard the man. I'm in charge, and my first order of business: Party Time!"

XxX

"I still think this is a bad idea," Raven muttered as they all stepped out of the T-car in front of Splatter's.

It was a rather modern looking building with a large, neon, orange sign and covered in luminescent paint splatters. "Where's your sense of adventure?" Beast Boy said.

"What I do not understand is why I have to wear these ridiculous rubber cubes on my horns," Archangel said as he pulled one off his left horn.

"It's so you don't scratch up the inside of my car with them," Cyborg replied, polishing his "baby" just before they stepped in.

Raven, Archangel, and Beast Boy were sitting at a high-top, neon, pink table, waiting for Cyborg. "Okay," Cyborg said, joining them, "the guy said the next round of paintball is in forty five minutes. We just have to hang out until then."

Beast Boy took a large slurp of his soda before standing up. "Just as well," he said, smugly. "Who wants to lose to me first at air hockey? Raven?"

"No thanks."

"C'mon Raven, you're going to have fun tonight, even if it kills you," Beast Boy pleaded, tugging at her arm.

"Pull the trigger then."

XxX

Robin was spinning his butter knife on the table cloth as he and Starfire sat in awkward silence across from each other at the restaurant. While they had been on a couple of dates before, they still found conversation, which did not revolve around heroics or the latest antics of their friends, proved difficult. "So…" he said, trying to think of something, "how is Silkie?"

He had obviously surprised her as he noted her blinking back into reality. "Silkie is fine," Starfire replied, a little puzzled. "You remarked this morning that he was chewing on your shoes."

"Right," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He began drumming his fingers on the table, still unsure what to do. "You know, on dates people usually get to know each other better. You know, talk about each other's interests, families, lives. Those kinds of things."

Starfire was even more confused by this statement. "Robin, we live together. We know as much about each other as we possibly can right now. Anything we have not shared with each other is information we have chosen to share with no one, and have chosen not to share for a variety of reasons. I, as well as the other Titans, have learned to let you share your innermost secrets when you are ready. I do not think a date is when you would wish to share these, and I expect the same from you."

On the one hand, she was right. Having been roommates and teammates for so long, there really were no surprises between them. On the other hand, Robin was a bit taken aback by this statement. Robin knew he had his fair share of secrets, but he had always known Starfire to be an open book. Were there things she was keeping from everyone else? From her last statement, it would appear so, but what and why? For now, he would not worry about it and would try to enjoy their date, but he would keep that in the back of his mind. These thoughts though lead Robin to an idea of where to take their conversation. He just hoped it was not a secret too. "Well, there are some things I don't know about you," he said with a small smile. "I mean, you've never really said much about your life on Tamaran."

"Oh but I have," Starfire began. "I have introduced you to much of Tamaranean cuisine. I use my native language rather frequently. You have all celebrated Blorthog with me. You have even been there."

"Yes, but you have never mentioned what it was like for you. I mean, your parents were the Grand Rulers. What were they even like?"

Starfire thought for a moment before answering. She wanted to find the right words. "My father was…a wise and noble ruler," she replied, still not sure of her answer.

"But what was he like as a father?"

"Well, he was Grand Ruler, and was therefore expected to see to numerous diplomatic duties, especially as a key figure in trying to maintain peace in the galaxy. I never saw much of him. He was also expected to be the strong-willed and courageous leader. I can easily count the number of times he was openly affectionate to any of us on my hand. Of course, this is normal for Tamaraneans to not openly show affection to friends and loved ones, at least not in public."

"That must have been….difficult," Robin commented, not sure how to respond. "And, your mother?"

"As wife to the Grand Ruler, she often served as the diplomatic hostess to several intergalactic dignitaries. It was a demanding position. I saw less of her than I did of my father," she continued, not letting her eyes meet his.

"You weren't kidding then when you said Galfore was the only person affectionate to you," Robin said, sympathetically.

Starfire looked up quickly, trying to find a silver lining. "But she made the most effort to find time for us. These moments were not frequent, but when they occurred, they were incredible. Those few moments with my parents are often my happiest memories. I like to think of them when I wish to fly."

Robin gave her a small smile. This was the first time on any of these dates that he was starting to feel a serious emotional connection to Starfire other than just young infatuation. "And I was fortunate," she continued. "Most Tamaraneans are raised solely by their k'norfka. They never really see their parents."

"Why?" Robin asked.

"When one is close to family and friends, emotionally and physically," she explained, "it shows your weakness. It shows your enemies who they must harm to defeat you. To prevent that, Tamaraneans have their offspring raised by a k'norfka. To be considered so close to someone that you are trusted to raise their offspring is the greatest of honors on my world. Your tradition of one's parents being their k'norfka is most unusual, yet I consider it a desirable alternative."

That was messed up. Robin wanted to say that thought aloud, but knew better. "So what about you?" he asked, wanting to know more. "What were you like when you were young? What were some of your favorite things to do on Tamaran?"

"Well, before the Gordanians attacked, Tamaran used to be a very lush and tropical planet. Sometimes, even a few species of plants would grow on the inside or outside of buildings in the large cities. The palace used to be covered in large vines that grew all over the walls. When we had the equivalent of what you humans call 'spring,' they would bloom into the most fantastic flowers. It was always my favorite site to see. Oh, and then there was the market street outside the palace. Every day, it had all the sights, sounds, and smells typical of Tamaran. Of course, I only went there when Archie could help me sneak away from the palace guards."

"Sounds like you had a really good friendship with Archangel." Robin laughed, hearing Starfire telling of her childhood.

Starfire fidgeted nervously. "Robin, there is something I have been meaning to tell you about Archie. He-"

"Hmmm? Hold that thought. I forgot to tell Cyborg to do some data entry on some stuff I have in the evidence room."

XxX

"Whoo! That's ten-nothing, Raven," Beast Boy crowed as the plastic puck fell into the goal.

"Wonderful. Can I go now?" Raven asked, having never really played in the first place.

Beast Boy pouted. "C'mon, you don't want to play another round? I'm buying."

"Look, I'm just trying to get through this night," Raven said as she started walking away. "Why don't you play with Archangel?"

Archangel had been sitting nearby, listening to their game. He interrupted, "I think this is a scenario in which my visual impairment would be a hindrance."

"Fine, bad example. How about Cyborg? Hey, where is he anyway?" Raven had only now realized that he was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, Cyborg came back into the building. "That was close," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I just got done talking to Robin. He still thinks we're at the tower. Remind me to get some files outta the evidence room. I need to make it look like we did some work."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "As opposed to…I don't know, actually getting back and doing the work?"

"Raven, relax and just have some fun," Cyborg said. "Besides, we're up for the paintball course."

"Ugh, this is going to be a long night." Raven sighed.

XxX

Robin looked up from his dessert. "Starfire, I forgot, I interrupted you when I left to talk to Cyborg," he said. "You were saying something about Archangel?"

Starfire swallowed hard. She had half hoped he had forgotten. Raven was ultimately right, and she had to tell him, but that did not make it any less difficult. "Archie…," she began, "told me that my sister might be returning."

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask. "So that's why you've been a little on edge lately."

"Yes," Starfire half-lied. She felt silly for having backed out. "I am not certain of what we can do now. No one knows where she is."

She finally met his eyes. He only gave her a half-smile, and reached for her hand. "You've got me. You've got all of us. We'll be ready for her."

She smiled back. Robin always had a way of doing that. He always had a way of making her feel as if she could do anything. Like _they_ could do anything, she corrected herself. They were a couple, and that meant sharing their troubles. "Now come on," Robin said, "we promised not to talk about work on date night."

"I am concerned about our friends," Starfire said, changing the subject. "They did not seem pleased to be confined to the tower all night. And what if Beast Boy-"

Robin laughed. "That isn't exactly what I meant. Besides, Cyborg and Raven are responsible. Archangel seems responsible. What kind of trouble could they really get into?"

XxX

"Booyah!" Cyborg whooped as he nailed an opponent on the paintball filed with a quick shot. "Now, where's that horned alien?"

Cyborg's thought was responded by a voice from above on one of the field's higher platforms. "Your problem is that you are too loud."

Cyborg turned and saw Archangel just above him. He fired several shots at the alien, but he nimbly jumped off the platform, missing the shots. "And I am too fast," Archangel said as he took cover.

Cyborg grunted in frustration and followed him. As it turned out, Archangel was fast, and Cyborg quickly lost the trail. He was careful not to throw taunts, trying to make himself as invisible as possible to Archangel. Needless to say, Archangel was just as good at staying hidden. Of course, he had a warrior background, and Cyborg did not. He would be able to keep up the waiting game longer. Archangel meanwhile kept hidden behind an artificially built wall. He tried to pick up Cyborg's scent. There was a lot of metal in this new world, which made him blend in, but his human scent was still unmistakable. He had him. He decided to take his opportunity and jumped out. Before he had time to pull the trigger, Cyborg had turned and fired several shots, neon paint hitting his body and fur. "I may be loud," Cyborg said, "but I think I'm the one who's faster."

Archangel laughed as Cyborg helped him to his feet. "Still, this has been most enjoyable. But this substance you call 'paint' feels rather sticky."

Cyborg looked him over. "Yeah, it's going to take a shower or two to get that out," he said, "but you did put up a good fight. But, you just can't beat the champion."

Archangel picked up another scent in his nostrils. "Uh champion, you might want to hold on to that gloating."

Before Cyborg could ask any questions, he heard a ping as a paintball struck his back. He turned around and saw Beast Boy doing a small victory dance. "Oh man, I got you good."

"Yeah, yeah, we're out. We got it," Cyborg said as he and Archangel left the field.

"Now to find Raven," Beast Boy said to himself, knowing that she had spent most of the time hiding and avoiding the game. "If I were Raven, where would I hide?"

Beast Boy made a run for the furthest corner of the field. It did not take him long. It was not like she was trying all that hard to hide. "It's just you and me," Beast Boy said, trying to sound tough.

"Look, how about I just surrender?" Raven said. "Then we can leave and go home."

Beast Boy slumped his shoulders, disappointed. "Aw c'mon, Raven. You don't want to even try to beat me?"

"No," Raven said, staying firm, "I've been telling you this all night. I didn't want to go out. I wanted to stay home, read, and do what we were supposed to do."

"You mean just be a stick in the mud?"

Beast Boy taunted, firing a shot at her. Raven quickly dodged it. "This isn't a game Beast Boy!" she shouted. "I told you, I'm done."

"Sorry, Raven," Beast Boy said, firing another shot, "I couldn't hear you."

Raven glowered and gritted her teeth. "This isn't funny." The paintball missed her head by centimeters.

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, firing a few more shots, "you're right. It's hilarious."

Raven ducked and dodged the shots. She could feel her rage rising up. "Do it again," she said, with a hint of malice. "I dare you."

Beast Boy smirked and fired at her again. This time, she let loose all her anger. Gripping her own paintball gun, she began firing like crazy. Beast Boy's face went from playful and mischievous to terrified in less than a second. He squealed in fear and tried to take cover. The attempts were futile as Raven was not even taking aim. She was just firing blindly. Beast Boy tried turning into a cheetah to get the slip on her, but she levitated to follow him. He felt several paintballs pelt him in the back. Turning back into a human, he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Throwing his arms up defensively he called out, "Okay Raven, you got me. We can go now."

"Not good enough!" Raven yelled back, firing wildly.

Beast Boy was practically covered in a full coat of neon, orange paint. Raven kept shooting though. "Somebody help!" Beast Boy cried.

Cyborg and Archangel came to the rescue. Cyborg held back Raven and tried to get her to come to her senses while Archangel helped Beast Boy to his feet. "Raven! Raven! Game over, Raven. Let it go," Cyborg called to her, gently shaking her shoulders.

Raven stopped, and seemed to come back to reality. "I-I don't know what came over me," she said.

"It's okay," Cyborg said. "It's over. Let's go back in and enjoy the rest of our evening."

Raven threw down the paintball gun and looked at Beast Boy, who was still shaking with fear. "Well Beast Boy," she said, "you were right. This was fun. Relieves a lot of tension."

Beast Boy scowled. He was not amused. Cyborg and Archangel meanwhile kept their distance from Raven.

XxX

"Ugh, I ache all over."

Beast Boy groaned as the four heroes were eating at a table by the snack bar. He was covered in dozens of welts and winced every time he moved. "Yeah," Cyborg added, "Raven did a number on you. Robin is definitely going to know where we went now."

"It's not like it's the end of the world if he does," Raven said, sipping from a soda.

"So let me see if I have this right," Archangel interrupted, "'corn' is a type of edible plant, and a 'dog' is an animal, but a 'corndog' is neither of these things but still edible?"

"Eat it or don't," Raven said. "As soon as we make progress with Starfire, life sends us another alien learning English."

"Someone is eager to get back on the field," Cyborg teased.

"Hey, is that a smile I see?" Beast Boy added.

Raven quickly returned to her usual scowl. "No…I mean, well, that's none of your business, is it?"

"C'mon, admit it," Beast Boy said, "you had fun with us tonight."

Raven sighed. "Fine. Hanging out with you guys was not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Yes," Archangel agreed, "this would be fun to do again sometime."

Cyborg grinned. "Yeah, this turned out to be a pretty good date night after all. We should do it more often."

He looked at the clock on his arm. Before he could say anything, Beast Boy said, "How about one more round of air hockey? I'm buying. Who wants to lose?"

Their conversation ended abruptly as they heard a commotion as a group entered the arcade. "Alright scuzzwads!" a voice called out. "Scram and you'll live a lot longer."

To the horror of the heroes, they found that the voice belonged to Gizmo, who was followed by the rest of the HIVE Five.

XxX

The Titans, out of reflex, jumped out of their seats, ready to fight. "So you guys got sick of robbing candy stores?" Cyborg said.

"The Teen Titans!" Gizmo yelled, clearly surprised. He quickly regained composure though and pulled his goggles over his eyes. "Actually, I'm in the market for some hydraulic parts. It's a good thing it's a school night, 'cause you just got served…wait I mean uh…grr. Jinx was always better at that stuff. Hey! Where'd those pit-munchers go?"

Gizmo had gotten distracted and looked frantically for the now missing Titans. He pushed a button on his remote to start up the miniature helicopter on his backpack. Before he could get too far in the air, Beast Boy in the form of a swallow, started pecking at his face, keeping the mechanical genius distracted. "Ow, hey that hurts!" he yelped.

Cyborg was meanwhile going hand to hand with Mammoth. The giant boy may have been dense, but he was not stupid when it came to fighting. He knew to stay in close combat with Cyborg to prevent him from using his distance weapons. Mammoth saw his opportunity and seized Cyborg, keeping his arms pinned to his sides, and lifting him off the ground. He was about to slam his head against Cyborg's knowing he could take the impact, when something crashed into his side, knocking the wind out of him. He was thrown sideways a few yards, dropping Cyborg. As Cyborg stood, he saw that it was Archangel, who had given a powerful head-butt. But Cyborg did not have the time to thank him. All he could muster was, "Behind you!"

Seemore was taking aim. Archangel only had enough time to draw his sword. As Seemore shot an eye bubble, Archangel engulfed the sword in flames with his pyrokenesis. As the bubble hit him, it struck the sword first, turning the water into steam, rendering Seemore's attacks useless. Cyborg then assisted by launching his sonic cannon at Seemore, blasting him against the wall. "Your ears okay after that?" Cyborg asked.

Archangel felt the little device in his ear. It was still intact. He gave him a thumbs up. Raven was preoccupied with the half a dozen Billys. "Didn't anyone ever tell you there's strength in numbers?" one of the Billys said as they began to double once more.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you bad things happen in threes?" Raven quipped back.

With that, she entrapped the dozen or more Billys in a dark orb of magical energy. "Hey!" they all began shouting at once.

"One," she said as she made the orb levitate. "Two." She threw them forward. "Three." They bowled over Kid Wikkid and were laying in a heap.

Beast Boy squawked as Gizmo swatted him away. "I've had enough of this!" he yelled. "You crud-sniffers are going down. HIVE Five, attack formation Delta!"

Attack formation Delta apparently meant the HIVE Five were separating each of the Titans off from each other so that they could offer no assistance to their teammates. Beast Boy ended up having to square off against Seemore. Turning into a rhino, he thundered across the arcade in a full charge towards the villain. Seemore was quicker, and had him trapped in a watery, eye bubble before Beast Boy could get halfway across the room. Beast Boy was not defeated yet. He turned into a swordfish and tried to burst the bubble with his needlepoint nose. Try as he might though, he could not break through. Those eye bubbles were very well reinforced. He turned into a decently sized, but still quick salmon, and tried to get the bubble rolling. This did keep Seemore distracted from making any further attacks as he tried to dodge Beast Boy as he zipped around like a pinball. Beast Boy caught up to Seemore, and eventually rolled over him. The bubbles were fairly soft, and really did no harm, but Seemore lay dazed for a moment. "Ha! Who's the evolved life-form now?" Beast Boy said, before he looked and gasped. Seemore smiled as he turned the dial on his mask to the laser setting.

Archangel was face to face with a presently single Billy Numerous. At first, this seemed easy to him as he already had the villain's scent. "You know," said Billy in his usual southern drawl, "this really don't seem like a fair fight. But then, I don't like playin' fair."

Billy made himself into ten, completely encircling Archangel. This unfortunately was incredibly confusing to the new hero, as he was not familiar with the boy's powers. "Th-that cannot be!" he exclaimed. "He is-"

Cyborg, who was in the middle of fighting off Gizmo, could see Archangel's confusion. "He multiplies!" Cyborg yelled to him. "That's why it seems like he is everywhere at once to you."

A look of panic swept across Archangel's face. With all the Billys, smelling exactly alike and being everywhere, he did not know how to fight back. The Billys took advantage of the situation and pounced upon him. Archangel found himself drowning in a sea of fists and feet that he could not identify from each other. He was being knocked back and forth without being able to see the attacks coming. As soon as he would grab ahold of one, five more limbs would fly at him. Eventually, he was at their mercy. As one of the Billys knocked him back away from the fray, he felt himself being hit in the other direction by an unknown force. It was Kid Wikkid. Billy and Kid began to play an intense game of ping pong, where Archangel was the ball. All the Billys kept him too confused, and Kid Wikkid moved too silently and too quickly for him to pick up a scent or even hear him. It was as if he was being attacked by a ghost.

Cyborg was still busy trying to fight off Gizmo, who was trying to rearrange his circuits. It was almost comical to watch Cyborg's gargantuan arms trying to reach and pry off a little boy like Gizmo from off his back. Eventually, he got a hold of him and pitched him across the room. "Not so smart now are ya!" Cyborg said.

"I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch booger breath!" Gizmo said as he pushed a button on a small remote.

A powerful and painful, electrical charge surged through Cyborg's body, rendering him immobile. "Gah! What did you do, you little twerp?" Cyborg cried.

"You like it?" Gizmo said, taunting him as he turned it up a level. "It's just a little implant I managed to get on you before you threw me."

Cyborg managed to regain his senses. "I'm going to get you, you little-" he said as he stood.

"How are you going to do that," Gizmo said, turning the electric pulse back on, "when you can't catch me?"

Raven was meanwhile, locked in a fierce battle with Mammoth. She was managing to hold her own though. For every blow he threw, she levitated out of the way. However, up until now, she had been on the defensive. With a wave of her hands, the arcade games began spewing quarters in every direction, making it hard for Mammoth to see her, and painful as he tried to shield himself from the small projectiles. With a primal roar, he made a mad dash in the direction he thought Raven was and leaped upon her. Breaking through the cascade of quarters, he did reach his target. He and Raven wrestled on the ground, Mammoth clearly having the advantage. Raven waited until he had her pinned to the floor, and used her only maneuver she could execute from this point. She sunk into the floor through a dark portal, leaving Mammoth confused, groping about the floor trying to find her. She reappeared several yards away. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted as she magically hurled an arcade game at the gigantic youth.

Mammoth however, had his strength to back him up. He caught the heavy machinery in mid-air and threw it right back at Raven. She did not react quickly enough and had the full weight of the machine thrown on her. With as much effort as she could muster, she pushed it off of herself and bolted over the dividing wall between the arcade and the snack stand. There she found Cyborg, trying to reach Gizmo's implant before he could be zapped again. Raven offered her assistance and broke the device with her magic. "This isn't going how I had expected," Cyborg said.

"We need help," Raven said, "We need Robin and Starfire."

XxX

Starfire could not help but grin to herself as she sat in the darkened movie theater with Robin holding her hand. Robin had really come a long way since they had started seeing each other. He had made more of an effort to make time for their relationship and still manage all of their superhero duties. More importantly, he had become more open about their relationship and did not let the occasional ribbing from Beast Boy or Cyborg get to him as much as it used to. "Ariella," the voices on the screen sighed.

"Brad!"

"Ariella!"

She leaned closer to Robin. She had really lost track of the film twenty minutes ago, and apparently Robin had as well. She could easily read the look behind his mask. Of course, he had been pretty quick to lean in as well, so his message was obvious. Their lips were only centimeters away when they each heard a faint buzzing sound. Starfire, ever concerned for her friends, leaned back and reached for her communicator. Robin however, was leaning too far in and lost his balance, falling in a heap on the theater floor. "Our friends need us," Starfire whispered down to him.

"Of course they do," Robin mumbled grumpily into the floor.

Starfire got up and headed for the lobby. "Somebody had better be dying," Robin said to himself as he pried a bucket of popcorn that had been left on the floor off his head.

He followed Starfire, where she was listening to the transmission from Cyborg and Raven. "This had better be good," Robin said to them, as he looked over Starfire's shoulders.

They could see Cyborg and Raven on the tiny screen. "Well sorry to have interrupted," Cyborg said, "but we've got bigger problems here. We ran into the HIVE Five, and-"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you _ran into_ them?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Look, we'll play the blame game later," Raven interrupted. "Right now, our main concern is that they've got us overwhelmed."

They heard someone shouting off screen. "Billy Numerous and Kid Wikkid have got Archie so confused, he doesn't know which way is up, literally," Cyborg added. "You guys gotta help."

"We're on our way," Robin said, ending the conversation.

He was about to leave straight away when Starfire held him back. "Robin, wait," she said. She pulled him in for a tender kiss. "We were interrupted," she said, blushing.

Robin's face turned a matching shade of red. "Well date night isn't over yet," he said at last. "We've still got some time to kick some butt."

XxX

"Ahh! Get me out of here!" Beast Boy shouted.

He was still trapped in Seemore's eye bubble. He was still in fish form, and was swimming with all his might inside of it to avoid his lasers. He looked more like a hamster in a plastic ball though as he rolled around the building. He crashed into a wall as Seemore kept firing lasers, thankfully breaking the bubble. He jumped over the divider where Cyborg and Raven were hiding. "What now?" Beast Boy asked eagerly, hoping for an answer as to what to do next.

"Robin and Starfire are on their way," Raven replied.

A Billy was holding Archangel by his hooved feet and shaking him. His horn tumbled to the ground. "What's this for?" another Billy said, picking it up.

"You bonehead," another said, "it's a horn. Give it here." He snatched it out of the other's hands.

Using what little strength he had left, Archangel struggled free of the first Billy and kicked the one holding his horn in the face. "I believe it belongs to me," Archangel said, bringing it to his lips.

The blast from the horn shook the ground, bringing the battle to a halt. The HIVE Five were still coming to their senses. "I hope you have another maneuver in mind," Archangel said as the other Titans crawled out from their hiding spot.

"Hope that plan involves us," Robin said from behind them all.

"Oh man! Are we glad to see you two," Beast Boy said.

"We've been in an awful bind," Cyborg added. "So what's the plan?"

"These guys know who we're weakest against," Robin started, "but we know who we're strongest against. The name of the game is keep away. We've got to fight who we're strongest against and keep them away from whoever they are strongest against. Raven and I will handle Billy. Starfire, you've got the strength advantage to handle Mammoth. Beast Boy, you can keep up with Kid Wikkid. Cyborg, take Seemore. Archie, you're taking on Gizmo."

"But we do not know who he is strongest against," Starfire objected.

"Yes, he is kind of a wildcard," Robin replied, "but I think that is just what we need on Gizmo. Ready?"

Everyone nodded. The HIVE Five was prepared to attack again. "Titans, go!" Robin shouted.

"Alright cyclops," Cyborg said to Seemore, "let's dance."

"I think you'll be the one dancing," Seemore said, turning the dial on his helmet.

He started shooting laser beams at Cyborg's feet. Cyborg was rather quick on his feet and barely missed having them blasted off. "Let's see how you do when I pump up the volume," Cyborg said, taking aim at Seemore.

Seemore was quick too. Just as the blast left the sonic cannon, he turned the dial, and one of his eye-shaped shields surrounded him. He knew he had a small window of opportunity to disable Cyborg. He switched to one of his newest settings, just as Cyborg was charging his cannon for another go. As soon as the shield dissipated, he fired an electrical charge directly into Cyborg's sonic cannon, temporarily disabling it. While Cyborg was momentarily distracted by this turn of events, Seemore was busy, looking for the opportunity to get a jump on Beast Boy. Cyborg saw his moment, and went into a full tackle at Seemore. When he made contact and tackled Seemore, the two bowled out the doors of the building and into the streets. Seemore lay in a heap on the sidewalk, and Cyborg had rolled head first into a parking meter. Seemore stood up shakily and took his chance to run. When Cyborg came to, it seemed too late. Seemore was already floating away in his eye-balloon. "Oh no you don't," Cyborg said to himself as he charged his cannon once more.

He took his shot and popped the balloon. "Aw man," Seemore said, just before he plummeted to the ground and into Cyborg's arms.

Beast Boy had a slight advantage in speed when it came to Kid Wikkid, but not much of one. The real problem was that every time he could get a hold on him, he would vanish. He would turn into an octopus and grab the silent villain and try to hold him down, but before he could do anything else, he was gone. He would morph into a serpent and try to trip him up, but Kid Wikkid was already on the other side of the room before he could do anything. There had to be some way to catch him Beast Boy thought. He took notice of Kid Wikkid's movements. He was quick, but he was also a creature of habit. To the untrained eye, it appeared as though he appeared in random locations. He realized though that there was a pattern to the villain's movements, much like the patterns in some of his favorite video games. He also knew that he was trying to make his way towards Archangel. Beast Boy was not much for strategy, but he was quick enough to place himself roughly where he thought Kid Wikkid would appear in the interval in which he disappeared. Just as he appeared on the spot, Beast Boy transformed into a rhino, and knocked him square in the back. Kid Wikkid crashed into a wall and was incredibly disoriented. "Uh Raven," Beast Boy said, "a little help please."

Without even looking at him, Raven cast a spell that trapped Kid Wikkid in an orb of black aura that kept him from using his powers. Kid Wikkid only glowered at Beast Boy, who was childishly making faces at him.

Starfire was proving able to handle her own against Mammoth. He was strong, but she had all of her Tamaranean strength to back her up. The problem was he had about as much endurance as she did. He was not going to give up and kept coming back no matter how hard they fought. At the moment, their hands were locked together, trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Mammoth was starting to gain the upper hand and forced her down to her knees. Starfire was struggling to push back. "Not so tough now are you?" Mammoth said with a laugh. "I'm bigger and stronger."

Starfire's eyes began to glow. "But I have something worth fighting for," she responded as she threw Mammoth with all her strength.

The giant was thrown back, slamming against a wall, and bowling over a few Billys in the process. Mammoth struggled to sit up as he let out a pained groan. Starfire stood before him, starbolts at the ready. She glowered. "You do not harm my friends."

Mammoth did not waste any time to make a run for it. Starfire flew close behind, throwing starbolt after starbolt at his feet. The giant only ran that much faster every time he heard one hit the ground. He ran out the doors and looked behind him to see that she was not following him. "What? Too scared to-" Mamoth began to taunt before he ran square into Cyborg, who had caught Seemore moments earlier.

"Going somewhere?" Cyborg said as Mammoth lay dazed on the ground after hitting his tough metal frame.

"Thank you for the assistance," Starfire said, following him outside.

Raven and Robin were surrounded on all sides by a small army of Billys. "Any bright ideas?" Raven asked.

"Just one," Robin replied as he threw a birdarang at one.

The Billys all rushed at once to retaliate. Robin and Raven were fast and jumped over the group. Now that there were all in one central location, Robin launched his grappling hook, the rope winding circles around the cluster of Billys, tying them all together. "Ow, hey!" one shouted to another. "What are you doin'?"

"Quit shovin'," another shouted.

Robin held the rope tight, keeping them all corralled. "Now Raven," he said.

Raven at once trapped them all in an orb of her magic, hoping to contain them. Unfortunately, the Billys had managed to struggle free of the ropes and were multiplying at an alarming rate, breaking free of Raven's magical energy field. Raven, for once, had a look of shock. "You don't happen to have a plan B do you?" she asked.

Robin did not hesitate. He threw another device into the pile of Billys. It was a smoke bomb, which enveloped them all. "Oh no you don't," one Billy shouted, throwing a punch.

"Ow! Watch it!" another shouted.

"Hey! You're supposed to hit them, not me," still another yelled.

The arguing continued, and when the smoke had finally cleared, there was only one Billy sitting with bruises all over his body. "You got him to beat himself," Raven said, "clever."

"Well, he is his own worst enemy," Robin added.

Archangel was ready to square off with Gizmo. The little villain turned on his helicopter backpack. Archangel had his sword at the ready. "Didn't anyone tell you not to bring a sword to a tech fight?" Gizmo said.

Archangel silently responded by unleashing his wings. Gizmo stared in disbelief. "Uh…" was all he could muster before taking off to avoid him.

The two raced after each other above everyone else. Gizmo looked behind him to see Archangel following close behind. "Time to lose this freak," he said to himself, "for good."

He came to a sudden stop and hovered a little higher, Archangel flying at high speed underneath, breezed past him. Gizmo then grabbed onto his back and hung on. He then grabbed an electrical tool and tried to give Archangel a shock. Archangel turned as much as his body would allow with someone on his back. In his hand, he had already produced a ball of fire. "Whoa!" Gizmo shouted as he wasted no time jumping off and trying to dodge the stream of fire.

Archangel also proceeded to crash into a wall as he was too busy handling the distraction to pay attention. Gizmo hovered just in front of him. "Let's see how tough you are after this, scum wad."

He snickered as he pressed a few more buttons. Several mechanical arms snaked out of his backpack and grabbed Archangel by his arms and legs, pulling them outward so that Archangel could not launch fire at the boy. Gizmo gave a maniacal grin as he let the arms spin him around, greatly disorienting him. "Just like the tilt-a-whirl," Gizmo said.

A balled up, green armadillo struck Gizmo in the back of the head, distracting him, and forcing him to drop Archangel. Beast Boy turned back into a human as he landed on his feet. "Geez, don't throw me so hard, Star." He grumbled as he rubbed his head.

Archangel's head was still spinning, but was not so easily defeated though and took off after Gizmo once more. This time, it was Gizmo on the defensive. Archangel flew with fury and quickly caught up to the young genius. He grabbed his metal backpack and severed the helicopter propeller with his flaming sword. Gizmo fell and rolled to the ground. Archangel landed beside him and picked him up with one hand. "You scuz wads haven't seen the last of me!" Gizmo yelled. "HIVE Five, attack plan Beta."

"You and what army?" Robin said as he came over.

Gizmo looked around and saw his whole team incapacitated. He pouted and grumbled to himself.

XxX

The Titans now noticed all the destruction they and the HIVE Five had caused. Furniture was thrown about, some of it turned into piles of debris. Several singe marks, from several culprits marked the walls and ceiling. And that was nothing compared to some of the cracks in the walls. Robin pulled one of his birdarangs out of one of the smaller cracks, feeling rather guilty. They also noticed the worker cowering behind the counter. Beast Boy scratched his head nervously and tried to relieve the tension. "So…we will totally recommend this place to our friends," he said to the man behind the counter. "So uh, bye."

Raven spun him around before he had time to duck out. "Perhaps we may be of assistance in repairing your building," Archangel offered.

"J-just go!" the man stammered.

It had been a silent drive home, and even more awkward silence as they reached the island and made their way back to the tower. Cyborg was the first brave enough to speak. "Sorry we ruined your date night," Cyborg said as they all made their way back home.

"Well, technically the HIVE ruined it," Robin corrected, though he was still a little sullen.

"Yeah, but we snuck out and neglected patrol duty," Beast Boy added, with a downcast look.

"Tonight you lucked out," Robin replied. "If you hadn't already been there, they might have actually cased more destruction. But seriously, don't do that again."

"Don't be so hard on him," Raven interjected. "We've all been feeling a little left out lately with these date nights. We just wanted to hang out as a team for once."

Robin stopped the comment he was about to say and thought. "Perhaps you are right. We haven't spent a lot of time together as a team lately. And I guess sometimes I forget that we're not just friends, we're a family."

"So does that mean…" Beast Boy said, trying to lead him in.

"We'll work out something," Robin replied, "maybe on Saturday."

They were now entering the tower. "Oh, but this was certainly the most fun I have had on the date night," Starfire said, beaming.

"You're joking right?" Cyborg said in disbelief.

"Of course not," Starfire replied, "I have spent time with Robin and all of you, my friends. How is that not most enjoyable?"

"Well, it is hard not to stay away from me," Beast Boy bragged. "I am pretty awesome."

"Right," Raven said, rolling her eyes, "all the same, maybe next time, we'll leave date night to you two."

XxX

Blackfire was thrown to the ground yet again by Slade as they were sparring. The training was much harder than she had first thought, and she found Slade to be a rather demanding teacher. "That was reckless and sloppy, Blackfire," Slade said. "I've really been expecting better of you."

Blackfire sat up, still sore from the beatings she had taken throughout the day from their "practice." "I'm doing my best. How can I improve if you only fight with me instead of teach me?"

"These fights are the lessons," Slade replied, his back to her. "If you have not figured that out yet, perhaps I should find a new apprentice. And as for your…ahem…efforts, let me tell you what your 'best' is. You are strong. There's no doubt about that. What I wanted to see out of you today was control. You need to control your movements and those of your opponent's. You cannot expect to win with raw power alone. No wonder your sister defeated you."

Blackfire scoffed as she stood up. "Excuse me? The only reason she-"

He turned around, practically inches from her face. "I was not finished!" Slade snapped. "Now, I have seen what she can do, and I have seen what you are calling your 'best effort,' and now frankly, I'm not surprised."

"So what do I have to do to impress you?" she said.

"This isn't impressing daddy anymore!" he shouted. "I want results."

He started to leave. "Where are you going?" Blackfire asked, still seething with rage.

"I am going to get a little insurance policy," Slade replied. "If I were you, I would be trying to find a way to prove you had been paying attention to the lessons so that I do not have to use said insurance."

He continued to leave, only to be stopped as a starbolt hit him in the back. When taking her on as an apprentice, the one contingency he had not planned for was the force and energy of those starbolts. Thankfully, she had not figured that out. He had altered some of the material in his suit to accommodate. Therefore, he only fell forward, rather than experience a severe burn. He rolled over to see her right above him, another starbolt at the ready. "Lesson two: never walk away from a fight," she said.

"You are paying attention," Slade said as he stood up. "I would keep that focus if I were you. You'll need it when I get back."


	3. Episode 3: Between a Rock and a

**Episode 3: Between a Rock and a Hard Place**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Welcome back readers! Once again, if you haven't had the chance to check out "After the End Theme" by Nikkisha16, you should. It's a good supplemental piece to her larger work "Surfacing Shadows," which is also a Season 6 story._

 _This episode will be particularly_ _interesting. Let me start off by saying, I'm not the biggest fan of Terra, but I do feel she got gypped of some closure towards her storyline. So, here's my attempt at giving her story what it deserved, but maybe with a small cliff hanger, a small one. Once again, yes, I have read what the original DC comics and the TV comics did with her past, and while interesting, it was never established in the show, leaving me some free range. It is my opinion that this explanation is more interesting, but then hey, I'm the writer._

 _I also think I should make mention of some head-cannon stuff before I give a long-winded and unnecessary explanation within the story itself. I'm referring to the whole notion of arranged marriages on Tamaran, so follow along with my explanation. While arranged marriages serve their purpose of politically uniting noble families and species, as well as helping to continue illustrious bloodlines, the Tamaranean need to express emotions cannot be ignored, even though Tamaraneans hide behind a veil of stoicism to protect themselves from enemies. Most of the arranged marriages rarely result in emotionally compatible matches. Therefore, consorts and paramours are not uncommon in the houses of nobility, and are rarely frowned upon. However, most consorts and paramours must hold some lower position within the household if they wish to live with their love. Homosexuality in these situations is hardly a problem, though homosexual marriage is still outlawed as it does not aid in the continuation of a bloodline. The only legal issues that arise in the situations of consorts and paramours comes in terms of children of heterosexual relationships. If a noble husband has children with female consorts, he may choose to offer some financial assistance, but this is not guaranteed, and the child stands to inherit nothing after the husband's death, even if he produced no legitimate heirs. If a noble wife has children with a male consort, the parentage can never be truly determined, as paternity tests are nonexistent, and it is up to her husband to choose whether the child is a legitimate heir or not. There are no official rules in these situations, and most families settle these problems on their own. I think that should cover most of the references made, and then some._

 _Once again, I own nothing associated with the Teen Titans. I've got Archangel/Archie, but that's it._

* * *

 **Palace of Tamaran, 10 Years Ago:**

Starfire was not one to sneak away and avoid Galfore, at least not often, but today was special. She just knew it. She had heard the whispers all around the palace. They were expecting a guest from another planet. That was no surprise. She had been used to the comings and goings of foreign dignitaries for as long as she could remember, and that was not long, since she was only six. From what she could gather about these visitors though, she knew that they had come on special business. She had also heard her name mentioned several times in connection to this event. She could not wait. She had to know what was going on.

Starfire flew through the rooms and halls of the palace with astounding speed. Her excitement was such that she could maintain a height above everyone attending to their daily business. Despite how high she was, she could still hear the voices of those that took notice of her presence. She knew they did not think she could hear them. She was used to hearing it though, even if not all of it was good. She was _different_ she heard them say, and they did not always mean that in a kind way. She knew that she did not act like a normal Tamaranean, despite her best efforts to act like one. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, not something Tamaraneans did often, despite how they longed for a peaceful world where they could. For now, these comments only mildly upset her. Galfore had told her time and again that it was a phase and she would grow out of it eventually. Knowing her k'norfka, she was unsure of that. He was one who, in her opinion had not grown out of it, given how many tickle fights he liked to initiate. For now, her main concern was learning about their guests this evening.

Starfire could now hear Galfore's thundering voice over all the usual noise. It never took long for him to realize she was gone. It was always catching up to her that was a challenge. Starfire was a more nimble and agile flyer, and Galfore was rather bulky and straightforward. Today, he had to chase her on foot to avoid bumping into the crowds of guards and servants preparing for their guests. She looked behind her to see him immersed in a swamp of people. She giggled to herself. As intimidating as Galfore seemed, for the scowl on his face when he saw her was very real, he was really a gentle giant. She knew she would be in a lot of trouble when he found her.

Starfire did not see where she was going however, and collided with her father, the emperor. Starfire fell down to the floor and had a look of pure shock on her face as she looked up at him. The look on his face was none too pleased. "Father, I mean Emperor," she corrected as she kneeled.

"My liege," Galfore said as he caught up and kneeled, "this intrusion will be dealt with immediately. She has-"

"I only wanted to know what was so special about tonight," Starfire quickly explained.

Emperor Myand'r looked from Starfire to Galfore to back at Starfire. "You will have a long discussion with Galfore about this behavior," he said, sternly, "but, for now, I suppose you do have the right to know what all of this is about."

He motioned for her to follow. Starfire trailed behind, careful not to get too close. He led her to her parents' private, living quarters, specifically the common room of the quarters. It was a rather grand room, with a walkway out to the balcony, not all that unlike her own bedroom. The door to their bedchambers was adjacent to this room, but Starfire had never been allowed in there. Her mother sat comfortably on one of the room's luxurious chairs. Blackfire, her nine-year-old sister, sat at her feet, taking notes as her mother gave her lessons on Tamaranean history. It was something their mother loved, and had insisted on teaching the girls herself. Sitting beside her mother was Rulore, her mother's paramour. It was a rare occurrence not to see those two together. Though Starfire's parents did not dislike each other, theirs was a marriage out of necessity and duty, not of love. Like most noble families, it was not uncommon for Starfire to know her mother's beloved, and Rulore was like a second k'norfka to her. As far as she knew though, her father never really had any long-term romantic relationships, as he took his position as Grand Ruler very seriously, and could only allow so much time for such things.

Upon their father entering, Blackfire and Rulore immediately stood and bowed. Their mother did not, as it had become quite difficult to do so, being rather pregnant with their new brother, yet another reason Rulore had hardly left her side these past few weeks. In order to continue staying at the palace, Rulore needed a position in the palace, and she happened to be a gifted midwife. Emperor Myand'r motioned for Starfire to sit. She quickly gave her mother a warm embrace, and an affectionate pat for her brother. She chose to sit in Rulore's lap. Rulore was a tall, and somewhat imposing figure, though nowhere near her brother, Galfore's size. Her father was still thinking of where to begin. Although he stood firm, Starfire could detect a hint of nervousness in his voice. "As you may be aware," he said, "there has been word of military movement from the Gordanians on behalf of the Citadel."

Starfire shivered. The names of their worst enemies already filled her with fear, and she had never seen them before. She looked up to Rulore for comfort. From her angle, she could see a hint of a scar on Rulore's neck. At one time, she had been a slave to the Citadel, an incident which she refused to discuss with Starfire and Blackfire, and only in very private discussion with Luand'r. To date, she was the only person known to have escaped, with the help of Galfore, hence the scar on his right eye. Looking at the scar, Starfire could tell there were still some painful memories there. "Over the course of the past few months, I have been working to secure aid from anyone. I believe I have found that in the powerful war tribe of the Visiri of Naraka," her father continued.

"War tribe?" her mother commented. "They do not sound as though they are a great help. And they have been neutral in the affairs between us and the Citadel."

"Any help is better than none," her father said, "but I believe 'war tribe' does not accurately describe their power. Chief Raguel is one of the most powerful warlords this side of the galaxy, and his men rival the numbers of the Drenthax fleet."

Everyone was rather impressed by those numbers. "They are strong, but brutal, and until now, they have not viewed the Tamaraneans in a favorable light. But I believe those carglakers might be just what we need to silence the Gordanian threat."

Queen Luand'r shot him a look. "I will not have you teaching our children such language," she said, in response to his last statement, "and if you intend to impress this Chief Raguel, I would start by not calling him that."

The emperor only shrugged. Starfire looked confused, and finally said. "But what did I have to be here to hear all of this?"

Both of her parents exchanged a look. Her mother sighed and nervously began to stroke Blackfire's hair. The emperor looked at her and finally replied, "The Visiri are only considering this offer on the condition that you marry Chief Raguel's eldest son and future tribe leader, Saraqael. The reason that they are arriving here today is to formally announce the betrothal."

Starfire had so many questions filling her head, but she did not get the time to ask any of them as they all heard a commotion outside, followed by the sound of gorka pipes. "I believe they have arrived," Emperor Myand'r said. "Come. Perhaps we will see your future husband."

She obediently followed him out on the balcony, along with her sister. Never before had she seen such a grand procession. There were hundreds, if not thousands of these most bizarre creatures marching through the streets of the capital. Although the Tamaraneans were known for their courage and battle prowess, even they had to admit that these beings looked formidable, and quickly cleared the streets for them to continue on to the palace. They were certainly a remarkable looking species, Starfire had to admit, and she had seen dozens of intergalactic dignitaries. From the waist up, they resembled Tamaraneans to a certain degree. The main differences she noted were that their skin was more of a tan color rather than orange, their ears were slightly pointed, their noses were large and flat, and every male had two horns that began at the base of their foreheads. From the waist down though, they were more unique. From the waist down, they were covered in fur, though not always the same color, and their feet were really massive hooves. They had no tails though. In size, they were relatively close to Tamaraneans, with most adults averaging a minimum height of six feet. The males however were particularly bulky, some even rivaling the size of Galfore. Some carried the most unusual instruments such as double-piped fluets, massive lyres, and horns that encircled their bodies, all creating a strange, yet wonderfully exotic music. Most of them though carried large swords and spears, reminding everyone of their warrior nature.

It became quite easy to spot Chief Raguel. He was the largest of the tribe, even bigger than Galfore, Starfire reasoned. Like all the Visiri, his black hair was short, but messy, and his beard did not reach past his neck, unlike Tamaraneans who never cut their hair. His arms and chest were covered in battle scars, more than any of his other warriors. He was the only one to have gold piercings in his ears and nose. Most frightening though was his necklace. It was a metal necklace with a pendant shaped like the sun, the metals reflecting in shades of gold, bronze-orange, and red in different lights. Strung on either side of the pendant though, were teeth, perhaps from rivals, Starfire believed, as some of the teeth had dried blood on them. He also had massive, leathery, reptilian wings, which made him look even wider and more intimidating. There was a look in his eyes that Starfire could not quite place though. Bloodlust perhaps?

The smaller Visiri who walked by his side had to be his son, Saraqael, she assumed. He had the same black hair and fur as his father, but was significantly smaller, and his horns had not fully grown out yet. He had to be at least five years older than her though, she figured. He carried himself with incredible confidence, although it seemed more like arrogance to her. He certainly did seem to love the attention he was receiving from the Tamaraneans. Starfire only rolled her eyes in disgust. She chanced a glance at Blackfire, who was clearly ogling at him. She could not be serious could she?

Emperor put a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "Come, we must go properly greet our guests," he said. He seemed to have the same look of disgust as Starfire, but for different reasons.

The chief and his son were waiting in the great hall. The Emperor took the initiative and kissed the chief on the lips, as was customary when meeting a new species. The chief however, looked rather appalled at the behavior, but was followed by surprise when the emperor began speaking to him in the bleating language that was his own. Starfire could not understand the conversation, but could make assumptions from their facial expressions and gestures. "X'hal, great Chief Raguel," the emperor began. "You and your tribe are our honored guests."

The chief looked him over, clearly impressed. "You have learned to speak our language," he sneered, "surprising, troq."

Though Starfire did not understand the chief's words, her eyes widened as she noticed two things about the exchange. First, every guest they had ever entertained knew to return the greeting of "X'hal," to the emperor, even if their own religion did not include the goddess. Second, she had heard the chief say the word "troq." Only recently had Galfore explained its meaning and the history behind it. A member of the Weavnid species had once used the word in front of her father. That was the only time she had seen her father express rage, and needless to say, the Weavids were no longer welcome guests on Tamaran. This time however, her father said nothing, but feigned excitement at the arrival of their guests. Starfire did not quite understand. Emperor Myand'r took a deep breath and continued, "My wife, Queen Luand'r."

The chief smiled smugly, knowing what he had gotten away with, but gave a nodding bow to her mother. "My eldest, Princess Kommand'r," the emperor continued.

The chief's eyes widened a little greedily as Blackfire bowed. "And Princess Koriand'r," the emperor finished.

The chief almost ignored her. "My eldest, Saraqael," he said.

Saraqael stepped forward, and took one look at Starfire, and was clearly disappointed by what he saw, at least that is what it felt like, when she saw the look in his eyes. He seemed rather bored by it all, it seemed. Starfire was starting to dislike this betrothal more and more. "I look forward to the announcement this evening," Emperor Myand'r began.

Chief Raguel held up a hand to silence him. "If it is all the same to you, I would prefer to announce the betrothal tomorrow night. We still have much to discuss."

The emperor was surprised by the abruptness of the chief, but still maintained composure. "Of course. This way." He and the chief left the great hall.

XxX

Starfire was having a restless sleep that night. She looked down at the floor as she lay in bed, though to call it a bed by earth standards was not possible. It was a soft, flat surface to be sure, but it sat upright at a slight angle, and Starfire, like any Tamaranean would, slept on it upside down. It was considered comfortable and good for the back, according to Tamaranean acupressure. She sighed. On one hand, she had accepted her role in the Tamaranean politics. She, on some level, knew this was for the good of her home. As Galfore had told her almost a year ago, this was her small way of protecting her home. On the other hand, something in her heart told her that this was not right. That _he_ was not right, she corrected herself. She had hardly met her future groom, and yet she knew he was all wrong. But then, what did she want? Knowing that her father would choose her husband, she had never really asked herself that question. She knew she wanted more than to be a part of someone's big plan, and she wanted someone who did not make her feel that way. If she had to guess, what she wanted most was someone who did not make her feel like an outsider, like she was not normal. Perhaps, like her mother, she would find someone special like Rulore to make the situation bearable.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a loud crash. She knew that whatever it was, was in her room. Galfore had trained her for such emergencies. Swiftly and quietly, she got up and grabbed the bladed spear, lying against her wall. For a child, she was very experienced in handling it. She listened for the intruder. In an instant, she heard another bump. She swung the spear with all her might. She felt it hit something, and saw a flash of fire. These were soon followed by a groan of pain. She sent a starbolt at the clear orb on her ceiling, illuminating her room. A young Visiri, not more than a year older than herself, was lying on the floor, his hands covering his face. His hair and fur were blonde, a rather uncommon, but not unheard of color for his species. He was clearly in a lot of pain. "I am sorry," she quickly apologized.

He quickly tried to scramble away. "I won't hurt you…again," she went on. "Please, let me-"

He only shouted in his bleating language. Starfire then knew what to do. She came forward, grabbed him by the neck and kissed him. At first the Visiri was stunned, but then shoved her away. "What did you do that for?" he sputtered, only pulling his hands away from his face enough to speak. She could see some blood running between his fingers.

"You are hurt," she replied. "I did that so that we could communicate. Now you may trust me to help you."

"You sliced my face open!" he shouted, still quite frightened. "Why should I trust you?"

Starfire was becoming frustrated with him. "It was an accident," she defended, "and besides, you were the one who came in here in the night."

"I do not even know where 'here' is," he said. "I get lost easily in new places."

Starfire could see that he could not stop the bleeding on his own, and pulled him closer to examine the wound. She had indeed cut a deep gash on his face from the uppermost edge of his left eyebrow, across the bridge of his nose and into his right cheek. "Is it bad?" he asked, becoming worried when she gasped at the sight.

"It is not good," she replied. "Wait here."

She found some of her clothes, and tore off long pieces to bandage his face. Galfore would be upset, but this was an emergency, she reasoned. She cleaned the wound as best she could before applying the cloth. Only then did she notice that her intruder's eyes were white, and not the typical brown she had seen in most of the other Visiri. It did not take her long to reason it out. "You are blind," she concluded.

"Yes," he replied, "I apologize if I had frightened you. With these unfamiliar smells and sounds, I have found it difficult to navigate this palace."

"It is not any easier if you can see," she said. "Even I get lost in here."

Starfire was busy bandaging his wide, flat nose. Only then, did she feel the light amount of fur on it. "Your nose tickles." She laughed.

He snorted as she touched the wound. "I'm sorry," she said, "did that hurt?"

"No," he said, becoming much calmer, "when you are this close, it helps me to know your smell, so that I may recognize you in the future."

"But why would you-"

"I like to remember the people who are kind to me."

Starfire became puzzled. "I do not understand this word 'kind,'" she said.

"It means that you are one who shows compassion and empathy to others," he explained, "even at their weakest."

"We do have a word for this," she thought aloud, "'rutha.' It means 'weak.'"

"How do you consider such behavior weak?" he asked.

"It shows that we are soft," she explained, "that we can be defeated."

He nodded. "I suppose I understand your interpretation," he said. "However, I believe it takes more strength to lift others up than to trample them to the ground."

Starfire only starred at him. For someone so young, he did have a certain degree of wisdom. She had bandaged his face as best she could. It was not the best job, and blood was still coming through the cloth, but it was enough to get him to someone who could help. "Come with me," she said, "let me get you to one of our doctors."

She gently grabbed his arm and helped him stand up. She looped her arm around his and began to guide him. He blushed profusely at her tender touch, his heart pounding in his chest, but he said nothing. His own family hardly so much as hugged him, and here was this perfect stranger, not afraid or ashamed of him enough to be so close. It was only as they were walking the halls of the palace that he asked, "You have wounded and healed me, but in all this time, I do not even know your name."

She thought for a moment, using her newfound knowledge of the Visiri language, to find the right word. "In your language, it would be Malakbel."

He only raised his eyebrows in confusion. "That is, not right?" she asked, a bit troubled.

"It is not a word typically used as a name," he explained. "All creation is embedded with the soul of the sun."

It was her turn to become confused. "I do not understand," she said, "but in my language, my name is Koriand'r."

"Then I shall call you Koriand'r," he said, nodding. "I am Zadkiel. I do not know what that would be in your language."

"I shall call you Zadkiel," she replied.

They stood there silently for a moment, enjoying their newfound friendship. A voice however, disrupted their thoughts. "Princess," Galfore said, not quite angry, so much as puzzled, "what are you- Who is- What happened?"

"He was lost," she replied quickly, "in my room, and I might have-"

Galfore pulled back Zadkiel's bandages to examine the wound. "Excellent technique," he said, more impressed than concerned, "a hair deeper and it might have been fatal. Are these your-"

He was referring to the bandages. Starfire looked down, twisting her foot, looking quite guilty. Galfore softened. "Very good thinking," he approved. "I will take him to have this properly examined. You go back to sleep."

He rubbed her head gently with a massive finger, and nudged her back toward her room, picking up Zadkiel. Starfire smiled to herself. She had a new friend, her first friend really, and she knew in her heart that he was special.

* * *

 **Titans' Tower, Present Day:**

"It took quite some time for it to heal," Archangel finished, "but the scar has always had the best story behind it."

He was walking in the halls of Titans Tower with Raven and Starfire. He had only finished telling the story of how he had received his prominent scar across his face. Starfire still felt rather guilty, but the way he told it did not make it seem all bad. Raven only looked at the two. "Only Starfire could form a friendship over anything," she said. "Even if it is involuntary assault."

Suddenly, Archangel caught a familiar scent in his nostrils. Without a word, he threw his arm in front of the two female Titans to stop their movement. Both were a bit stunned. With a finger to his lips, he began to walk in place, making it sound as though he were turning the corner. A water balloon launched and splattered against the wall. "I got you good goat boy!" Beast Boy said, coming down the hall. "No hard feelings right? Uh…"

He stopped in his tracks when he saw a completely dry Archangel, and two very angry looking Titans. Starfire had a look on her face as if to say, "Did you learn nothing?" He was then reminded of how she had accidently been the target of one of his pranks. "It was all in harmless fun," he defended with a sheepish grin.

"You were taking advantage of his blindness," Raven added, talking down to him.

"Well when you say it like that…," Beast Boy stammered, "but it's not like it did me any good. He fooled me. How'd you do that?"

He gingerly pointed to his nose. "I have come to recognize all of you by your unique scents. I know where you are from far away."

"I'll bet Beast Boy was one of the easy ones," Raven said, as she continued walking down the hall.

"Actually, it was one of the harder ones," Archangel responded, not catching on to Raven's sarcasm. "He turns into so many animals, he retains a small part of all of their scents, making for a complex smell."

Beast Boy beamed and nudged Raven. "You hear that? He says I'm complex."

Raven shrugged. "Well, you certainly are a mystery."

Beast Boy seemed to deflate a little. Cyborg encountered the four in the hall. "There you guys are," he said. "Archie, you gotta come check this out. It's ready."

"What is?" he asked.

Starfire eagerly tugged on his arm, and he followed the group up the stairs and down the hall. Archangel heard the familiar swish of the electronic doors to all the rooms. "Where are we?" he asked, not at all familiar with this new room.

"This is your room," Cyborg replied. "You didn't think we were going to make you sleep on the couch this whole time did you?"

Archangel smiled, feeling completely accepted by his teammates. The room itself was rather simple. The wall across from the door was the large glass windows for a decent view of Jump City, even if he could not see it. The walls were painted a soft red with cream colored carpet. There was a decent sized table with two chairs in the far left corner of the room, an old phonograph against the wall beside the tables, and a door, that led to a smaller room on the far right. In the center of the room was what looked like a large tree, with long branches leading up to a skylight window. Starfire led him there first. "What is that?" Beast Boy asked, a little awestruck himself.

Archangel ran his hand along the base of the structure. "It's an elban tree," he said. "They are from my home planet, but how-"

"It's not real," Cyborg replied, "but it looks and feels like the real thing. Starfire gave me a pretty good description. She said you like to sleep in them."

"So your people sleep in trees?" Raven asked.

"They do not," Archangel explained. "I do. I have always found comfort sleeping in these trees. And, when I do so, I feel that much closer to the skies."

"Well, you'll be happy to know there's a skylight above it," Cyborg added. "So even if you can't see it, you know you're sleeping under the stars."

"Come Archie," Starfire said, "even Raven has gotten you something for the warming of the house."

"Housewarming gift," Raven corrected. "It's an old phonograph. You said music was important to your people. I thought you might like to hear music from earth."

"I have a world-class, state of the art, sound system, and all you think to get him is an old record player?" Cyborg said in disbelief.

"It's antique," Raven retorted shortly.

"It is magnificent," Archangel said, feeling the horn of the machine.

Raven gave Cyborg an "I told you so" smile and said, "I'll show you how to use it later."

Robin entered the room. "I thought you were going to tell me when you were doing this," he interrupted. "You haven't seen the best part yet Archangel. Come with me."

He opened the door to the side room. Inside was a small greenhouse. "Dudes, since when does the tower have a greenhouse?" Beast Boy asked, just as shocked as Archangel.

"Since now," Robin replied. "It took a while, but Cyborg and I got it built. You can grow anything you want in here, even stuff from home, if the soil suits."

Starfire placed a hand on Archangel's shoulder. "I know you cannot become keeper of the Great Garden anymore," she said, referring to his banishment, "but perhaps you can start a garden here."

At first, he was a little lost for words. Never had he felt such a close bond with others in his life. "I am most grateful for all you have done," he said. "This means so much to me."

"You're part of the team now," Cyborg said. "It's what we do for each other. Now, how about some breakfast?"

They were all making their way to the kitchen when Beast Boy held Cyborg back. "Dude, why didn't you tell me you were going to use this room?" he asked, clearly heartbroken.

"We didn't want to upset you," he replied. "Besides, this room was already the perfect size, and wasn't being used. Any other option would've required me to knock down some walls."

"B-but-" Beast Boy stammered.

"Buddy, she's not coming back," Cyborg said, trying to reason with him. "You need to move on. We're starting to worry about you. We weren't going to let this place become some sort of shrine. Now come on."

Beast Boy shrugged off his arm. "You go ahead," he said. "I've got…stuff to do."

"You sure?"

Beast Boy waved him off, acting like his usual, carefree self. "Yeah," he said, "besides, it's not like you'll make tofu eggs for me anyway."

Cyborg gave him a knowing smile and left him be.

XxX

Beast Boy had not let Terra go. At least, he had made up his mind not to anyway. A part of him knew this was not healthy, but he had resolved that he could not give up on the possibility of her coming back, even if everyone else already had. One thing was certain, her grave was gone, which meant she had to be somewhere. Beast Boy also knew that at heart, she was a good person, which meant she would have to come back to the Titans. Right?

Beast Boy was, at the moment, across the street from the school where he met the girl who looked like her. No, was her, he corrected himself. He had promised to leave her alone, but he still could not shake the feeling that it was in fact her. It had to be, he pleaded with himself. It was all a cover, he had reasoned. She was only doing this to fool Slade. She would come back when she felt safe.

He watched her talking to her friends, trying hard not to be seen himself. Seeing her happy and smiling with her friends though, he had to admit it was a nice life, even if it was only a cover. He had often wondered what it would be like to just not be a hero and have a normal life. He knew he could not though. He would stick out like a sore thumb. But then, it did seem like a good deal. There were no crazed villains to fight on an almost daily basis. Your only care was homework. No patrol duty or evidence, just friends and parents to come home to. Then again, the guilt of seeing crime and to not do anything when you knew you could… That would be the hardest part about that kind of life. It had to be the hardest for Terra too. He just knew it.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang as a manhole cover blew off the street. A dozen or more of Slade's robotic thugs came crawling out of the sewer, clambering up the school fence into the school yard. Terra was surrounded on all sides. "C'mon Terra," Beast Boy thought out loud, "you can do this. They don't stand a chance."

Instead, she did the only thing she could think of; run. The thugs began to give chase. Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and climbed over the fence in a single bound. He fought madly as he swung his massive arms, grabbed thugs left and right, and even smashed a few of their heads together. Unfortunately, there were dozens of them, but only one of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one snatch the girl up and make a break for the sewers. In one instant they were there, the next they had vanished. Beast Boy's jaw almost dropped to the ground. "This is bad," he said to himself. "This is very bad."

XxX

The tower had been particularly quiet for the rest of the morning. Everyone was in the common room. Robin and Starfire were snuggling on the sofa, Raven was meditating in a corner, and Cyborg and Archangel were busy cleaning up the kitchen. The silence was broken as Beast Boy, in the form of a falcon, came flying in the door, transformed back to a human, and collapsed in a heap on the floor. He tried to speak through exhausted gasps for air. "Guys…trouble…Slade, he…and Terra."

He was surrounded by the whole team, looks of concern on all their faces. Robin helped him stand up. "One thing at a time," he reassured. "Just tell us what happened."

"It was Slade," Beast Boy said after catching his breath, "or at least, some of his goons. They kidnapped Terra."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You're sure it was Terra?" he asked. "Not just that girl who looks like her?"

"I'm telling you, that is Terra," Beast Boy objected.

"Terra or not," Robin said, pondering, "Slade is convinced it is her, which means she's in trouble. Let's move."

"But she is-" Beast Boy insisted.

"We don't have time for this argument," Robin said. "Come on. If what you say is true, time is of the essence."

XxX

The Titans stood knee-deep in the waters of the labyrinth that was the underground tunnels, right below the manhole where Slade's thugs had emerged. Cyborg used his shoulder light and Starfire kept an unfired starbolt to help look for signs of where they might have gone. Archangel sniffed. "I do not discern any smells that would indicate the directions our victim has gone," he said.

Beast Boy transformed from a bloodhound back to a human. He sighed. "I've got nothing too."

Cyborg tapped a few buttons on his arm, pulling up a holographic map. "This is a map of Jump City's sewer system. Maybe we can figure out where he most likely would have taken her," he reasoned.

"We've never found Slade's hideouts unless he wants us to," Beast Boy objected.

"We have to try," Starfire responded.

"Let's eliminate his previous lairs," Robin said, thinking hard. "He knows those would be the first places we would look."

Cyborg tapped some more keys, turning some of the paths on the map red. "That's still a lot of Jump City to search," Cyborg commented, scratching his head in confusion.

"Maybe not. Think, why does Slade need Terra?" Raven suggested.

"To move big rocks?" Beast Boy said.

"To carry out orders," Robin said.

"Well…yes, but more importantly to cause destruction," Raven explained, "and Slade never does anything subtle. He needs a big grand gesture. Cyborg, eliminate everything except for places near points of possible, major destruction, involving the earth."

"I can try," Cyborg said, tapping away. The map had fewer paths marked in blue. "Okay, there's the quarry on the town's north border. There's one place that leads to just outside the mountains in the east. There's-"

"What's this path here?" Raven asked, pointing to a series of tunnels that ran a diagonal line along the middle of the city.

Cyborg checked. "It's on a fault line," he said, reading his scanner. "Could cause some nasty earthquakes."

"This one here," Robin said, pointing to one of the paths along the line. "It's right below the factory district. There's plenty of abandoned warehouses there. Seems like the perfect place. Let's go."

XxX

She was thrown to the ground in a dirty, old, abandoned warehouse. A figure emerged from the shadows. "Terra," Slade said as he became visible to her, "it's been a while. Consider yourself lucky that I am a forgiving person. I'm willing to let the past stay in the past. I will admit, I am curious to know how you got out of your predicament. However, what concerns me at present is what you can do for me now."

She groaned. "First that little, green kid, now you. I don't know what your obsession is with this Terra person, but I am not her!"

Slade was giving her mock applause. "You really have committed yourself to this new persona of yours," he said. "Bravo. But this is no longer playtime. Now, we can do this one of two ways. You can do as I say, or we can do it the way we used to."

He held up her old uniform, which he could use to control her powers. "You're crazy!" she said, clearly exasperated. "I don't know what it is you think I can do, but I'm telling you I can't. I'm not her."

His brow furrowed. "I am no longer amused by this game of yours," he said. "You will do as I say. You know where you are standing?"

She shrugged. "We are directly above the city's major fault line," he continued. "With your powers, I intend to bring Jump City literally to its knees. Now, are you going to do it willingly or do I have to use force?"

A birdarang suddenly hit him square in the jaw, with a solid clang. "How about not at all?" Robin added. "It seems you're the one losing your touch Slade. Titans go!"

The girl took the opportunity and ran. "Follow her!" Slade commanded to his lackeys.

"Terra!" Beast Boy shouted before he followed them in the form of a tiger.

Slade prepared for a fight with the rest of the Titans. Overhead, he heard a high speed sound. Archangel and Starfire had joined forces in a barrel roll above him, their hands locked together, generating green, radiating flames. Slade was quicker though. He not only avoided the attack, but grabbed Archangel by the ankle, pulling him away from Starfire, and slamming him to the ground. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced," Slade said with his soothing and menacing voice. "It is Archangel, is it not?"

Archangel, still lying on his back, was dazed from the sudden movement, and the hard hit he took. He knew that Slade had a hold on his legs, and he attempted to blast him with his flames. Slade avoided them, allowing Archangel to leap to his feet. "Your powers are, shall we say passé?" Slade mocked. "A little been there done that, if you know what I mean."

Archangel took his sword, igniting it, and went into a full charge. Cyborg had the same idea, and came at him from the other direction. As soon as Archangel got close, Slade flipped him around and threw him into Cyborg, bowling him over. The two lay dazed in a heap.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as her Raven-shaped, shadow-self chased after Slade.

He was also encountering a barrage of starbolts from the other side. Quickly assessing his options, he ran towards the starbolts. He made a running leap over Starfire's head onto the beams above. Starfire missed being hit by Raven's shadow-self by centimeters. Starfire began to bob and weave among the ceiling's beams, following Slade. She kept trying to hit him with her eye beams, but he always nimbly jumped away. Raven had given up on following him with her shadow-self and now tried to take aim at Slade for her next spell, but he and Starfire were never in one place long enough. Slade led Starfire to a low beam, grabbed on to it, and swung around it, just as Starfire passed below, and she collided with Raven.

Starfire had not been the only one following him. Robin stood a beam above him, his bo staff at the ready. Slade stood up on his beam with his usual finesse. "Robin," he said, "I would have thought you would be better able to manage your team."

Robin had since learned not to respond to Slade's taunts. He swooped down to strike.

XxX

Beast Boy had managed to stay on the heels of the three thugs and Terra. Of course, dodging traffic slowed him down. Otherwise, he would have been ahead of them. He pounced on the one lagging behind. He could hear the crunch of the mechanical thug's circuitry under his feet, knowing that it would not follow them. He followed the others down an alley. Running at full speed, he knocked over the other two. It was not enough to destroy them, Beast Boy knew, but he kept running to catch up to Terra. Once he was running alongside her, he turned back into a human, still keeping up with her. "Terra!" he shouted.

"Stop calling me that!" she shouted back.

This was starting to get frustrating to him. "Fine whatever your name is. Come with me. We can help you."

"I don't want your help," she replied, trying to keep her breathing steady. "I just want you, and all of this to just go away."

Beast Boy came to a sudden halt, her words stinging. He could hear the robotic lackeys catching up. Terra started scrambling up a fence to get away. He would have to handle one problem at a time, he thought. He turned into a rhino, and charged at Slade's thugs. He crushed one with his horn. The other managed to jump over his body, and continue chasing after Terra. Beast boy wasted no time and turned into a small monkey to climb the fence and follow them. As they ran out into the street, Beast Boy scrambled up the thug's body and held on to his head. As the thug tried to pull him off, Beast Boy shrieked as he saw an oncoming car. He leaped off, leaving the robot to be hit. "One problem solved," he said, transforming back.

Terra had gotten ahead of her attackers and turned a corner to catch her breath. "You have to come with us," a voice said, almost startling her.

Beast Boy had found her, and helped her up. She yanked her arm away. "I don't get what everyone's problem is. I'm not this Terra person. So stop acting like I'm her."

"Fine, whatever!" Beast Boy sighed, throwing his arms up in defeat. "But Slade is convinced you are, and he's going to stop at nothing to get you back. So you might as well come back with me to Titan's Tower. We can keep you safe there."

She glowered at him for a while before she said, "Fine."

Beast Boy pulled out his communicator. "She's safe. We're heading back to the tower."

XxX

Robin heard Beast Boy's communication mid-fight. "You hear that Slade?" Robin said, as he pushed Slade back. "It looks like you lost."

Slade looked around and saw that he was surrounded on all sides by the other Titans. He only raised his eyebrows. "On the contrary, Robin," Slade said calmly, "I believe I have gained much from this encounter. Until we meet again."

He jumped and leaped on the ceiling beams and sprang out a broken window without another word. The Titans ran outside. "He is gone," Starfire said, clearly puzzled.

"He's not done with us," Robin said, fuming as Slade had eluded them once more. "For now though, we've got a lot of questions that need answers."

As they started to leave, Archangel pulled Starfire aside. "Something was…not right about this encounter," he said, trying to find the right words.

"There are many things not right about Slade," Starfire said, unsure by what he meant.

"No, it is something familiar. I could not place it." His brow furrowed as he tried to explain. "It was a very faint scent on Slade, but it was something I knew. But that is not possible right? I have never met him. I suppose it is a strange feeling."

Starfire was just as confused, and they caught up with the rest of the group. Meanwhile, on the rooftops above, Slade was watching them leave. He pulled out one of his own communicators. "Consider this your lucky day," he said. "Plans have been changed, and I now have an assignment for you. I hope you have been paying attention to this scrimmage."

XxX

Upon their return to the tower, the Titans had been rather silent. Robin had spent most of the afternoon researching leads on Slade's possible whereabouts. Cyborg was giving their guest a precautionary checkup in the medical room. The remaining Titans were waiting around in the common room, still anxious about their encounter with Slade. They all heard the doors slide open as Cyborg entered. "So?" Beast Boy asked eagerly.

Cyborg shrugged and said, "So…she's fine. A little shaken up, but otherwise okay."

Beast Boy gave him an unsatisfied look. "What do you want me to say?" Cyborg said. "She still claims she isn't Terra. I'll give it to you, there are a lot of similarities, but-"

"But nothing!" Beast Boy yelled. "It is her. It has to be. She's just been hiding it."

Raven, who had been meditating, opened one eye. "Then perhaps there is a reason she does not want to admit it," she said, "and we should respect her wishes."

"You never even liked her!" Beast Boy snapped. "How can all of you just do nothing about this? She is Terra, and we need to help her realize it."

Everyone only looked at him, worried expressions on their faces. Finally, Cyborg spoke up, "I can run a DNA test. Terra is still in our…villain database. Of course, I can't do that without her permission."

Beast Boy sighed. He knew she would not agree to it. However, another thought dawned on him. "Archie, you can identify scents even better than some of my animal forms," he said, thinking aloud. "You can identify her."

"I never met this Terra when you knew her," Archangel explained. "Unless you have something that belonged to her…"

"Hold that thought," Beast Boy said as he ran to his room and back to the Titans before any objections could be raised. In his hands, he held Terra's goggles. "It's all I have," he said. "I found them laying around after she went to Slade."

He held them in front of Archangel. He leaned close and inhaled a few times, a look of concentration on his face. At last, he said, "Yes, I can get enough from this."

He took Archangel out into the hall, where he found her sitting outside the door. She had opted not to speak with the Titans, especially the boy standing before her now. "What now?" she said to Beast Boy.

"This is the last time I'm going to bug you about the whole Terra thing."

"I'm not-"

"I know what you're going to say," Beast Boy interrupted, throwing his hands up defensively. "Just humor me on this one thing. I have to know."

"Fine," she sighed, "if it'll get you to shut up. What do I have to do?"

"You have to let Archie smell you."

"What?"

"Perhaps you should have eased her into the situation," Archangel suggested. "Leave me to it. Your own smell might make it difficult to separate you from her."

Beast Boy wanted to stay, but grudgingly agreed and left. She was still unsure, but Archangel tried to put her mind at ease. "Beast Boy can be very direct sometimes," he said, "mostly out of simplicity though. He does not always hear what he says the way others hear it. It is not as strange as it sounds. Your hand please. You see, it is part of how I 'see' others."

She tentatively gave him her hand. "Right, because you're blind," she said, trying to convince herself this was not weird. "So you don't feel my face or anything to know what I look like?"

"Only if you allow it," Archangel said, inhaling deeply. "My people are not fond of such physical interaction with those who are not family." He now turned from her to the goggles and sniffed once more. A surprised look came over his face. "Come with me," he said, at last.

He led her into the common room. Beast Boy had been waiting impatiently. "Well?" he said, eager for an answer.

Archangel nodded and said, "I will grant you that there are many similarities, but they are not in fact the same person."

"But-" Beast Boy objected.

"One's scent reflects the life they live," Archangel continued, interrupting him. "One cannot imitate or create a new scent for themselves."

"So if you're not Terra…" Cyborg said, thinking aloud.

"It's Jenny," she said, answering his question. "Thanks for asking by the way."

Robin however, was still deep in thought. "You say their scents are similar," he said to Archangel, "how similar?"

Archangel was quick to answer, "There are biological similarities. They are both human, both female, both roughly the same age…"

"Would you go so far as to say they are related?" Robin inquired.

"It is faint, but there is enough to suggest a familial tie," Archangel replied, nodding cautiously.

"I have a theory," Robin said.

XxX

As Robin explained, Jenny had agreed to a DNA test. The Titans were all in the medical room as Cyborg ran an analysis. "It's an identical match," he said, quite surprised by the result.

"So then, she is Terra!" Beast Boy said eagerly.

"You never give up do you?" Jenny said, exasperated.

"Impossible!" Archangel objected. "One cannot-"

"That's not what he's saying," Robin interrupted. "All it proves is that Jenny and Terra share the same DNA."

"Identical twins?" Raven asked, finally putting it all together.

"Exactly," Robin commented, beginning to pace, "which is why Slade and Beast Boy have been fooled this whole time. Jenny, you don't seem surprised. You knew?"

"No," she admitted, "but I was adopted. It is quite possible. I would never have met her. But, if my parents had known, they would've adopted both of us."

"So someone wanted Terra back then, and only her," Raven said, pondering. "The question is why?"

"So, you have the abilities of manipulating earth?" Starfire asked.

Jenny shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean, I've never tried to before."

"You would've known," Raven said. "So I guess Terra's powers are not genetic."

"Guess not," Cyborg said. "Seems like another question for whoever adopted Terra."

"We still have not asked the bigger question," Raven added, "if Terra's tomb is still gone…"

"Where's the real Terra?" Beast Boy finished, a little disheartened.

Alarms in the tower began to go off. Robin wasted no time in rushing to the main computer. "What is it?" Archangel asked

"Three guesses," Robin replied, "and you don't need the first two. Titans, move!"

XxX

Most of the laboratories in Jump City should have been more prepared for robberies, given how many of them occurred because of Slade. However, this latest was as easy as all the others. A group of robotic thugs piled into the room containing the latest piece of new and expensive equipment. One, who was slightly smaller than the others began to make a grab for it. It was a small, cylindrical piece of equipment, no bigger than one's wrist, with a lens at one end. A birdarang however, hit their hand, blocking them from the device. "Slade must be desperate to try twice in one day," Robin commented.

Archangel pulled his horn out and blew. The highly amplified sound messed with the mechanical lackey's circuitry, the rest of the Titans making short work of them. The small one by the device however was smart enough to cover its ears. "It's not a robot," Beast Boy said, pointing at the figure. "That means-"

"He already has a new apprentice," Robin said through gritted teeth.

Without a word, the figure grabbed the device and made a break for the exit. It was blocked however, by Raven who had practically appeared out of nowhere. "I don't think so," she said.

The figure glowered and proceeded to fight hand to hand with Raven. She parried all her attacker's moves with her small bursts of magical force fields. Seizing an opening, the figure leaped over Raven and knocked her in the back of the head before she could react. They did not have time to relax though, as the figure heard Cyborg's clunky running from behind. Grabbing his arm, Cyborg was flipped over and slammed on his back. "Oh, I'm not going down like this," Cyborg said as he sprang back up.

He then threw a forceful punch at the figure, only to have them catch it. His second punch met the same fate, and the two were locked in a standoff. The figure still spoke not a word, but glared at Cyborg, trying to push him back. Cyborg meanwhile, was trying to force them to their knees. Out of the peripherals of their vision, the figure saw two large safes, encased in magical energy, levitating. Raven had come to. Using Cyborg's inertia against him, the figure swung him around, using him as a human shield from Raven's attack. They then threw Cyborg's body at Raven, bowling them both over.

The figure had to shield themselves as a flurry of starbolts pelted the ground near their feet. In the efforts to dodge Starfire's attacks, they found themselves face to face with Archangel, sword ignited. The figure was swift at missing the slashes from the flaming sword, and took an opening to punch Archangel in the nose. He winced and a drop of blood began running, and he knew instantly it was broken. The figure took advantage of the distraction and pulled his sword arm behind his back, forcing him to drop it, the flames quickly dying out. They then turned Archangel around and threw him at Robin, who was running towards them, staff at the ready. Robin soon felt the Visiri's horns against his chest as the two collided.

The ground shook beneath their feet as Beast Boy thundered across the room in the form of a bull. With a nimble leap, they jumped over him and Beast Boy ran headlong into the wall. He was not down yet though, as he turned into a crane and tried to snatch the device with his beak. The figure grabbed him by his long neck, Beast Boy squawking in pain. The figure did not finish with him as another round of starbolts barley missed them.

The figure dropped Beast Boy and grabbed Robin's staff, still lying on the ground. Like a pole vaulter, they used the staff to get enough air to throw themselves at Starfire. In an instant, the figure hit her, threw her off balance, and the two tumbled to the ground. The figure was now on top of her, glowering through their mask. It seemed as if they would finish her off then and there, but instead, they used Robin's staff to knock her out.

With the Titans incapacitated, the figure bolted with the device in hand. Beast Boy was the first to come around and saw the villain making their exit. "No," he gasped as he scrambled to get up and give chase.

He was able to catch up, and tried to grab them. He got a hold of their mask, but it slid off, and the figure left Beast Boy behind. As he pulled the mask, he could see a long trail of blonde hair. "Terra!" he gasped.

Slade had found her and was using Jenny as a decoy Beast Boy thought as he ran faster to catch up. He followed her down the maze of hallways. "Terra, wait!" he called out. "I know you don't want to do this. You're probably still wearing that thing that lets Slade control your powers. But we can help you. Trust me. Trust all of us. If you're afraid of what everyone will say, they'll forgive you. I know it."

She came to a sudden stop in the hall. Beast Boy stopped short behind her. Beast Boy was still trying to catch his breath as he spoke. "Terra, you need to give us another chance," he pleaded, "give yourself another chance."

Her head turned slightly, though not enough to see her face. Beast Boy was hopeful though that she would give it a chance. Instead, he took a roundhouse kick to the face, leaving him stunned and dazed on the ground as she ran out. As he sat up, he saw a blonde wig lying on the ground. Whoever that was, it was not Terra.

Beast Boy presently rejoined the team as they took in the defeat. "What happened?" Robin asked, as Beast Boy entered.

Beast Boy, with a heartbroken look threw down the wig. "I don't know what Slade wants or who his new apprentice is," he said, his voice strong and steady, "but he's playing games with us now. They got away."

"Did you get a scent on them?" Robin asked Archangel.

Raven had been tending to his broken nose. "They punched me before I could get anything certain," he said.

"Do we even know what it was they stole?" Cyborg asked. "Maybe then, we could know what he had planned."

"This whole day has given us more questions than answers," Raven added.

"If there's one thing we know about Slade," Robin said, "it's that it won't be long before he tells us what he wants."

XxX

Beast Boy was saying goodbye to Jenny. He and the rest of the Titans had offered to make sure she got home safely. "So, Jenny, I'm sorry about everything," Beast Boy said, scratching his head nervously, "about today and about before…"

"It's okay," Jenny said, giving him a small smile. "It's not every day you find out you're being mistaken for your own superhero, identical twin you never knew about."

"Yeah," Beast Boy half-laughed.

There was awkward silence for a few moments. "I hope you find her," Jenny said at last. "I'd like to meet her sometime."

Jenny nodded and waved to the Titans as she left. Beast Boy lagged behind the Titans as they headed home. Raven however, slowed down and walked next to him. "You okay?" she asked, knowing she was not good at this sort of thing.

"I guess," he said. "I just thought, if Terra was really back, the first thing she would do is find us."

"Well, you were the one to see the truth about her," she said, choosing her words carefully. "You knew she was not bad, just scared and confused, like all of us have been at some point. Even worse though, she had gone so long not accepting herself that she refused to let others accept her. I think that's why she hasn't come back. I think she's still trying to accept herself. I can understand. I was the same way. Knowing everything I did about myself, I could not believe you would still let me stay with the Titans. But then, each of you, in your own ways, and through some seriously messed up situations, showed me that you would accept me whether I liked it or not. But, I also had to open myself up enough to let you guys do that."

Beast Boy did not laugh or make a joke. He was more surprised by how much Raven had revealed to him. "So, do you think she'll come back?" he asked at last.

"Maybe," she said, "but maybe not. You have to accept that as a possibility. Pining away for her won't bring her back any faster."

Raven was blunt, but honest. "Thanks Raven," he said. He then held up the wig. "There's something that still bothers me," he said, pondering.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure now that Slade knew Jenny wasn't Terra," he thought aloud, "so…"

"What was the point of it all today?" Raven finished. "I've been thinking the same thing."

XxX

Slade had made his new hideout in the clock tower of the old city hall building. He had always liked the sound of clockwork machinery. Everything about it was soothing; everything coming together, the precision, all of it was magnificent. At the moment, he was watching a map on his screen, a single, glowing dot the only subject of interest.

Blackfire entered, having returned from her errand. "What is that?" she asked as she came up behind him, looking at the dot on the map.

"That was faster than I expected," Slade said, not turning to meet her eye. "Good. Very good. The wig was a nice touch. This is the location of our earth-powered friend. You see, she was never able to remove the neural transmitter. I can still control her powers if I desired."

Blackfire looked at the map, noting how far away she was from Jump City, and took in what Slade had said. "You knew where the real one was this whole time," she accused.

"Precisely."

Blackfire quickly put it all together. "This was a test," she added.

"You really are shaping up to be my best apprentice," Slade said. "Yes, with the pressure of being replaced, you proved yourself to be worth my time. But remember, a test does more than prove your worth. It reveals what you have learned. So, Blackfire, what did you learn?"

"I can fight without my people's abilities," she said, after thinking for a moment.

"A useful skill," he responded, now facing her, "in adaptability as well as stealth. None of the Titans know you're here. Good. What else?"

"The Titan's greatest strength is their ability to work together," she continued. "We must find a way to break that."

"Of that we're in agreement," Slade said, "but I feel their new Titan might bring that about on his own. Their dynamics have changed, and they aren't sure what to do with it yet. What about your sister? What is her greatest strength, physically speaking?"

Blackfire was just as quick to answer, "She's one of the most agile flyers I have ever seen."

"And you are now only noticing this?" Slade questioned, raising an eyebrow with an eager look.

"I have known for a long time," she said, hanging her head. "I just never noticed."

"Hmm…being blinded by ego can do that. You really are learning," Slade said, nodding his approval. "The device please."

She handed him the bounty of her errand. "What is it for?" she asked.

"You will know when I am done modifying it," he said, already beginning to tinker with it. "Your next lesson, is patience."

XxX

"You are certain you like it?"

"Starfire, it is perfect."

Archangel had climbed his tree-bed, rested his hooves against two branches, and had leaned back into the cradle of branches at its top. As he leaned back, he casually placed his hands behind his head, enjoying the peace of a familiar place to sleep. Starfire smiled up at him, glad to see her friend finally in his element. "Very well," she nodded, "I am across the hallway, should you require anything, and Beast Boy is just around the corner. Well, pleasant shlorvaks!"

Archangel waited until he heard the door shut behind her. When he was certain, she was in her own room, he quietly hopped down from the tree and made his way to his new greenhouse. He carefully felt the soil samples Robin had placed in there, searching for the right one. He pulled the pouch from around his belt and grabbed the seeds which he had hidden within. He sighed, feeling incredibly guilty. "I do not hope it comes to this," he said as he planted the seeds into the soil.


	4. Episode 4: JCHS

**Episode 4: Jump City Horror Story: Freak Show**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Happy Halloween! To any fellow writers out there, or those who wish to be writers, check out my profile page for an announcement of a challenge I have created._ _To you loyal fans who have tuned into these stories every week, I am grateful. This episode is going to prove to be one of my favorites. I was absolutely thrilled to write it, and I can't wait for feedback. As always, I own nothing of the Teen Titans. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Palace of Tamaran, 10 Years Ago:**

Starfire sat on the edge of her balcony, her feet dangling over the edge of the bannister. Sitting out there always calmed her nerves. Having had a restless sleep and an unexpected intruder the night before, she was incredibly on edge at this point. She was not looking forward to this evening. She had, only hours before, met her future husband, a future warlord who seemed exactly like his father, a battle-hungry brute with no respect for others. She would not even get to live on Tamaran, she thought, her heart breaking just imagining it. Galfore had told her about her new home. In several years' time, she would be living on the war-torn, desert planet of Naraka. She was jolted from her thoughts as a hand touched her shoulder. Even more surprising was that it was her father with his hand on her shoulder and not Galfore, whom she had expected. "Tonight is special," he said, gazing out at the city with his daughter. "How do you feel?"

Starfire was not used to this sort of an exchange with her father. These were conversations she had with Galfore, but not the Grand Ruler. "I am…nervous," she said, still not sure how to answer, "and uncertain. Why must this all happen now?"

Now, Emperor Myand'r was uncertain how to answer. He was perceptive, and knew his daughter had not been excited about the arrangement. Nor was he. Tamaran did not have any qualms with the Visiri. The two cultures had, until now, left each other be. However, many in the galaxy had felt that the Visiri were a backwards and primitive peoples. He could say that they needed their alliance for protection from the Gordanians and the Citadel. He could say that their worst enemies would destroy everything they loved unless they could prevent it. But all he could say was, "There are just some things we cannot understand, Koriand'r. We must try and survive despite it all."

This did not feel like a satisfying answer to her and she sighed. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and continued, "We try to survive, and events unfold that do not occur according to plans. We must adapt to them."

"My heart is still unsure," she said, turning to face him.

He gave a hearty laugh. That was what he loved about her. She always listened to her heart. While Tamaraneans respected their emotions and knew they fueled their lives and abilities, life and its suffering had shown them the consequences of wearing those emotions on their sleeves. That was why they had developed their stoic, warrior mentality. Starfire was different, and he truly dreaded the day when the harsh realities of life would take it away from her. "Very well," he said at last, "I shall explain it to you in terms of the heart. Do you know why I am Grand Ruler?"

"Because Empress Kyand'r was your mother," she replied innocently.

"Well yes, there is that," he replied, "but more importantly, the people continue to let me rule because I, and all of the Grand Rulers before me, have promised to keep Tamaran, our home, safe; to keep them safe. You see, if something terrible were to happen, I have so much to lose; our home, our people, our family. I have to do what I can to protect it all, and sometimes that means I have to ask you to help me in those efforts."

Starfire thought about it for a moment, then nodded, giving him a small smile. He looked out onto the city. "You can see the top of X'hal's temple from here," he said, pointing in the distance. "You have been practicing your flying, yes?" Perhaps you will succeed in reaching it before me."

Starfire gave him a quizzical look, having never seen this side of her father before. He only returned the look with a slightly mischievous grin. Starfire, rather giddy with the thought of it, stood and was about to take him up on his offer. Her Mother however, prevented it. "You have to get ready for this evening," she said from behind them, "both of you."

"Next time then," he promised, hugging her before she followed her mother.

XxX

Nightfall came quicker than she had expected. Then again, time seemed to fly when one was filled with dread. Of course, she also felt uncomfortable because of her attire. Rarely did Starfire wear traditional royal garb, but when she did, she did not enjoy it. The material was not as breathable as more ordinary clothing, and it was fitted with more metallic armor, making it rather heavy. Thinking about it though did not keep her mind off of what was yet to come. They had not yet entered the great hall when Emperor Myand'r and Chief Raguel arrived. The Grand Ruler spoke to his family. "It is not traditional," he began, "but I believe I will announce the betrothals here amongst us first, so that there are no surprises."

Had he said "betrothals?" What did he mean, Starfire wondered? "Chief Raguel's eldest son, Saraqael," he started, pausing as he tried to get the words out, "is betrothed to Princess Kommand'r."

There was a stunned silence that lasted for some time. Even Blackfire was shocked by the statement, though not wholly upset as she did find Saraqael somewhat attractive. Empress Luand'r only stared in disbelief at the Grand Ruler, who responded with a look that said, "I will explain later."

Blackfire meanwhile stepped forward as Saraqael stiffly bowed. As customary for betrothals among differing species, she kissed him, learning his language. Starfire however, was still very much confused. The Grand Ruler cleared his throat and continued, "Chief Raguel's second son, Zadkiel, is betrothed to Princess Koriand'r."

Chief Raguel stepped aside, guiding his blind son forward. The wound Starfire had given him the night before had been stitched up, but certainly did nothing for his looks. The bridge of his nose was still quite swollen and had turned a light shade of purple. "I greatly pity the princess," Chief Raguel said to Emperor Myand'r, unaware that Starfire could understand him. "Zadkiel is a disgrace to our tribe, but if you insist that it will unite our people…"

Zadkiel, hearing his father's words became slightly downcast, though he gingerly bowed before Starfire. A wave of relief rushed over Starfire though as she ran to embrace her new friend, almost knocking him back. Tamaraneans had never before taught their language to another species. It was considered honorable to learn the languages of guest cultures. Starfire however felt it was only fair. And both her father and Chief Raguel did not know that the two had already met. It would look bad if she did not follow the same protocol as her sister. She kissed him and then embraced him once more, whispering in his ear. "I have taught you my people's language. Do not tell anyone."

Zadkiel who was still shocked at this unexpected reunion with the girl he had met before, swallowed hard and nervously nodded. Chief Raguel was surprised, to say the least, at the princess' rather affectionate reaction to his son. Emperor Myand'r interrupted, "Yes, well, there is still the matter of the formal announcement. Come."

Starfire took Zadkiel's arm and guided him. The great hall was immensely packed. Many were curious about Tamaran's future alliance. Starfire, rather pleased that she no longer had to marry Saraqael, felt everything go by in a blur. She did however, notice the shocked stares and whisperings that occurred with the announcement of Blackfire's betrothal. It was after all, nothing short of historical. Never before had the heir to Tamaran's throne been betrothed to a being of another species. As was customary on Tamaran, betrothals were celebrated with a grand feast. Of course, a significant number of Chief Raguel's trusted members of the tribe and his own family were in attendance. There were some in the galaxy who found Tamaranean table manners unusual, if not downright appalling. However, the Visiri did not seem to mind. In fact, it seemed as though they followed similar practice. The only noticeable difference was that the Visiri preferred to use their weapons as utensils, making dinner a little more dangerous. Starfire had to especially be careful, as she sat next to Zadkiel, who was not able to see what his dagger was aiming for. Starfire had a few close calls with her fingers. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Chief Raguel with a rather awful scowl. "Your father is not pleased?" she whispered to Zadkiel.

Zadkiel swallowed on the sputflink which had only moments earlier been on the end of his dagger. "I believe he is upset," he said, "because among my people, males and females do not eat together."

Starfire sat back for a moment, taking in all she was learning about this new culture, as it would be her own someday. In this respite, she overheard the whisperings of her own people as they were able to see their guests up close.

"Carglakers!"

"Disgusting and filthy creatures really."

"Ugly beasts!"

"A shame Princess Koriand'r has to marry the ugliest beast of them all. At least he cannot see how ugly he is.

Starfire was now regretting having given Zadkiel the ability to understand her language. He already had to hear the horrible things his father said about him. Now, she had subjected him to the taunts of everyone around him. She looked over at him and could tell he was pretending not to hear it. Of course, she did not ignore what the Visiri were saying about them.

"Who do they think they are fooling?"

"Troqs!"

"I suppose they would be, seeing as how they have no -"

Starfire could not stand to hear any more. She gently tugged at Zadkiel's arm, and the two quietly snuck away. She had decided to take him to the palace gardens. It was quiet there, and was rather beautiful bathed in the light of Tamaran's two moons. Of course it was not uncommon for the tropical plants of Tamaran to grow along the walls and even inside some buildings, but the gardens allowed more of Tamaran's natural wonders to grow freely within the confines of the metropolitan capital. They sat on the ground, both still very quiet. "I like to come here," she said at last. "It is one of the most beautiful places in the palace." She stopped short after saying that, realizing who she was speaking too. "I suppose because you cannot see it"

"I can see," Zadkiel said, sounding shorter than he wanted, but soon softening. "It is just different from how you are used to doing it." He ran his hands across some of the plants on the ground and breathed in deeply the smells of the garden, Starfire noticing how far his chest expanded when he breathed. "And I agree," he concluded, "It is beautiful. If you like this place, perhaps you will like the Great Garden of my home."

"But I thought your planet was all desert."

"Most of it. There is one place, on the whole planet, where things grow, at least things that are not typically found in the desert. While we have not discovered our own space travel, we use the trade ships that pass through, and we have seen much of the universe. Everywhere we have been, we bring back plants and animals, so that we may learn about these new planets. We let these things grow and thrive in this place we call the Great Garden."

Starfire tried to picture this magnificent place with such a vastness of plants and animals from all over the galaxy. "But, you're people, they are at war with other tribes on your planet,' she said. "I did not think they would have such interests."

"Yes, we fight with other tribes," he replied, "but that does not destroy our desire to know all of Malakb and his creation. My brother may become the leader of our tribe, but one day, it shall be my place to keep the Great Garden safe."

Perhaps she would enjoy her new home when the time came. She suddenly came to a realization. "Malakb is your deity?" she inquired. "I only thought that was your word for 'star.'"

He nodded. "I can see your confusion," he said. "Yes, Malakb is the deity we worship. However, he is not _our_ deity. We believe he created all things, not just on our planet, but everywhere. In our stories, after he created everything, he turned himself into the many stars across the universe so that he may watch over all his creation. We do not have a secular term for your word 'star.'"

The two were silent once more. Starfire shivered a little with the cold night air. Zadkiel felt it and with a slight motion in his back, two golden, reptilian wigs sprung from his back. He curved one slightly around Starfire, guarding her from the night breeze. She was awestruck by the wings and gently rested her head against his shoulder. "You are troubled?" Zadkiel said, breaking the silence. "You were certainly eager to leave dinner."

"Your people, they call us-"

"I know what they call you, and I have never used that name."

"Why?"

He raised his eyebrows, as if surprised that the action should be questioned. "I have never met a Tamaranean," he said as if it were the most natural answer in the world, "at least before meeting you. I like to reserve my judgement until I am familiar with something."

"And now?"

He was becoming more comfortable with her being so close to him. "Now, I think these beliefs are ill-founded."

"Why do they call us that?"

He sighed, "There are many throughout the galaxy who feel your ideals of a world without war have made you weak and ill-prepared for reality. And my people, to an extent agree. But, more often, it is because they say you have no el."

"No fire?" Starfire asked, puzzled.

He laughed gently, "El means 'inner fire,' one's soul. You see, we believe that when Malakb created all life, he embedded each of his creations with a small piece of his soul. This part manifests itself differently in all species. For us…" He held out his hand, and a small flame ignited on the top of his palm. "It is an inner fire," he finished.

Starfire was mesmerized by his species' ability. He extinguished the flame and put down his hand. "Your people call us a name as well," he reminded her.

"Like you," she said, "I had not met a Visiri. I do not use it."

"And now?"

"Now, I know it is not truthful."

"So…you are a princess," he said, changing the subject. "You never told me."

"You never asked," she said, laughing.

"Koriand'r."

"Yes."

"I was only told this morning I would be betrothed to a princess of Tamaran," he began, "and I am glad it is you."

"Until tonight, I thought I would be betrothed to your brother," Starfire said. "I am glad it is you instead."

The two sat under the night sky silently, enjoying each other's company. Galfore had been watching the two from afar. He knew that his bumgorf always thought she could fool him when she slipped away, but he was just as good at letting her think that. He smiled to himself. The emperor had been angry and worried throughout the day about this change in the betrothal arrangement. Perhaps there was something good to come out of it after all.

* * *

 **Titans' Tower, Present Day:**

"So hold up now," Cyborg interrupted, "you mean to tell me that you two were going to be married?"

Starfire and Archangel were washing the breakfast dishes while conversing with Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg. Starfire was incredibly uncomfortable having this conversation. Until now, only Raven had been aware of her betrothal to Archangel. She had been meaning to explain it to the others, especially Robin, whom she had planned to tell very delicately. However, nerves got the better of her and she had kept quiet. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Archangel would initiate the conversation about it. Yet, Robin was not in the kitchen with them. Perhaps there was time to find him and discuss it before either Beast Boy or Cyborg ran blabbing to him. "Yes," she said, pulling a dish out of the soapy water, "it was quite a time ago, and it only lasted for two of the years."

Raven looked up from her cup of tea, still processing the whole story. Starfire had only told her they had been betrothed, but never went into detail about it. "So you were supposed to marry his brother," she repeated. "Blackfire was older. Why wasn't she betrothed to Saraqael from the start?"

"Only children born after the heir to Tamaran marry dignitaries from other planets. She would have to be married to another Tamaranean. It is to keep the bloodline…" She paused, stopping herself from finishing so as not to offend Archangel.

She handed him the wet dish, which he began to dry. He finished her thought. "The Grand Ruler of Tamaran has always been Tamaranean. The hybrid children of interspecies marriages would not stand to rule."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Is that even possible?" she asked. "The hybrid children, I mean. You two are completely different species. That shouldn't be possible."

Starfire's cheeks turned a rather bright shade of tangerine. She had never discussed the topic of children with Archangel, let alone casually among her friends. "Tamaraneans have an incredibly adaptable biology," she began. "My people often reproduce with so many other species, it is easier to name to species we cannot reproduce with."

"It has never been done yet between a Visiri and a Tamaranean, but-" Archangel added.

"But there are species with whom we share fewer of the traits with that it has worked," she finished.

"So, even that snot-monster thing your sister tried to marry you away to?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes," Starfire nodded, "and I am most grateful that such did not become my future."

"So then, your sister's betrothal to a Visiri…" Raven said, changing the subject.

"Was an event which has never occurred in Tamaranean history," Starfire finished.

"My father had raised my brother to believe he was the son of Malakb himself," Archangel continued. "Both of them felt he should settle for nothing less than the future Grand Ruler of Tamaran."

"So your guys' parents treated you like consolation prizes for each other," Beast Boy blurted out. "Dude, that's kinda sad."

"Really sad," Cyborg added.

Neither of the two said anything, but continued their work. "So would they have let Blackfire rule with your brother?" Raven asked, still very curious.

Starfire sighed. "My father was…traditional. I believe it would have been unfair, but truly, I think he would have tried to use the Visiri army to face the Gordanians, and to have annulled the betrothal before Blackfire was old enough."

Archangel shrugged, adding, "And my father would have been greatly slighted and would have ours ended as well."

"So the betrothal was doomed from the start?" Raven concluded.

Both looked down, slowly coming to the realization themselves. "What ended it in the first place?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire was quick to answer, "Our fathers fought. There were…the issues they could not solve. We never saw each other after that."

"Hold on!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "So, you were first going to marry goat-boy over here. And we saw the…thing Blackfire tried to get you to marry. Exactly how many times have you been betrothed?"

Starfire thought for a moment. "Four in total," she said.

"Any idea what happened to lucky bachelors two and three?" Raven asked.

"My second was the prince of the Reamling peoples," Starfire began, "but what you call the bizarre, unfortunate circumstances befell him, only after a few days."

"You mean freak accident," Cyborg corrected.

Starfire seemed not to notice. "My third was a noble of the Mahoe people," she continued. "When the war with the Gordanians began, he felt his chances were better with them. They repaid his loyalty by decapitating him and eating his corpse."

Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged a frightened look. Raven however, was unphased. "Yeah karma can be a real-" she started to say.

"So does Robin know?" Cyborg interrupted.

Before Starfire could answer, all of them heard a loud crash. Robin had work to do in the evidence room, and had taken his breakfast with him. He had been returning the plate when he heard the entire conversation. "He does now," Robin said, almost in a trance as he processed the information.

Raven had levitated the broken pieces of his plate to the garbage as Robin headed back to his room. Starfire quickly followed him. He could hear her floating behind him, but did not turn around. "Robin, I never meant to…I wanted-" she began to plead.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice stiff and still not turning to meet her eyes.

"I wanted to," she said, meekly.

"But you didn't," Robin reiterated.

"But I wanted to," she said again, unsure how to handle the situation.

"You were going to marry that?" he said, pointing down the hall towards the kitchen, where Archangel was, but then soon realizing what he had said. "Wait, I didn't mean…"

Starfire's expression changed quickly, her eyes narrowing. "Him," she corrected shortly, "and yes, I was."

"Why would you hide something like that?" he said.

"For the reason number one; your reaction right now."

Robin sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. He had to word what he was going to say next very carefully. "Starfire, I'm not mad because it happened," he said at last, trying to conceal any hint of jealousy. "I'm mad because you didn't tell me. It's like, you didn't trust me. That's why I'm upset."

Now it was Starfire's turn to feel guilty. "Robin, I-" she began.

"Starfire, right now, I just want some time to myself," Robin said, turning away.

"For your future awareness," she said, still angry at how he had spoken about Archangel, "I believe Archie can hear you from this distance."

That did sting a little. Robin had not meant for it to come out like that. He did have a great respect for the new hero. Yet, he had suspected from the start that their friendship had been more than that, but jealousy had gotten the better of him. Maybe Starfire was right not to trust him with the information. No…this time, Starfire should have at least tried, he thought. They had agreed that they had their fair share of secrets, but this was one thing she should have had a little faith in him with.

XxX

The rest of the morning remained uneventful. Beast Boy and Cyborg had taken to the couch for an all-day video game marathon. Raven had gone to the solace of her room. Robin had holed up in the evidence room. Archangel had taken to his private, green house. Starfire however, was still shaken from her argument with Robin. She was lying on her bed, trying to find some comfort through Silkie. "Oh Silkie," she said with a sigh, "I did not mean for Robin to find out like this. But Robin should not have behaved like that. Archie is still my friend."

The mutant larva only blinked. "Perhaps Raven was right," Starfire continued. "I waited too long and now what is the nothing has become the something. But then, perhaps it is a something? What do I do Silkie?"

Silkie only gurgled back, eyeing the pot of zorka berries, which Starfire now kept locked. "Perhaps I should speak with Raven," she finally concluded.

As she made her way down the hall, she encountered Raven and Archangel, appearing to be leaving the tower. "Raven…and Archie?" she exclaimed, not used to seeing the two together. "May I inquire as to where you are going?"

"A new tea shop opened downtown," Raven explained.

"And I am in need of a respite from my gardening," Archie added. "Perhaps you would like to join us?"

Starfire had preferred to speak with Raven alone. "No, I thank you," she said, "perhaps another time."

Raven and Archangel were both suspicious. They never knew Starfire to turn down social interaction. "You sure you're alright?" Raven asked. "You know, after this morning?"

"I am sorry," Archangel added, "I was not aware that you did not wish to share this information."

"No, it is fine," she said, feigning her ordinary self. "You have fun doing the hanging out. I have to…feed Silkie."

The two were still worried, but decided to let her be.

XxX

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Archangel asked Raven as she was looking through the shop. "I am not used to so many of these conflicting smells."

"Just, something different," Raven said, taking a whiff out of the box in her hand. "I've been using the same kind of tea for months now. A little change is good."

Archangel caught a whiff of something. "This is certainly most pleasant," he said, "perhaps this, Raven?"

He held out the box to Raven. She looked at the label that read, "Acai Berry," and took a smell herself. "Good eye Archangel," Raven said before thinking, "Or uh…good nose."

At that moment, the shop's owner came from the back of the shop. The teenager working at the counter had not paid them much mind, but the owner became furious at the sight of them. "Oh no," he began to scold, "that 'thing' cannot be in here."

He was pointing at Archangel. Raven glowered. Archangel only had a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm sorry," Raven said, "what did you just call him?"

"Look, it's nothing against him," he said, "but I don't allow animals in here."

Archangel interjected, still trying to be polite, "I believe there is some confusion. I am a Visiri, an intelligent species from another planet. Perhaps you are-"

"Whatever," the shopkeeper grumbled, still looking for an excuse, "the sign says, 'No shirt, No shoes, No service.'"

Raven sat down the box rather roughly. "We were leaving anyway," she said, tugging on Archangel's arm.

Just as they reached the door, both of them heard it. The shopkeeper mumbled under his breath, "Smelly beast."

Archangel could feel the warmth in his hand as he knew the fire was about to ignite. He was shaking from the inside out. However, nothing could compare to the rage Raven was feeling. "Excuse me?" she said, her eyes slowly turning red.

Tendrils of dark energy began to drift out from under her cloak, and the lights in the shop suddenly shorted out. The shop owner began to panic. The teen at the counter was too immersed in their phone to notice anything amiss. "You think he is a beast," she said, her voice turning more malicious, "wait until you see what I am."

The tendrils were drifting closer to the shop owner's feet. He squealed in fear, jumping up on a counter. Suddenly, a hand clasped Raven's shoulder, snapping her out of it. His hand was still a little warm. "Come, Raven," Archangel said, trying not to let his voice quiver, "we have to go home."

XxX

They were in the elevator back at the tower. "I cannot believe you just let him speak to you like that!" Raven exclaimed.

She had taken this more personally than she should have. She knew what it felt like. She had always heard what people were whispering about her when they thought she could not hear it. She could control her emotions enough to deal with it, but when it happened to a friend, she lost control. "I am upset," Archangel replied, "truly, I am, but it is not worth the fight. I am used to it. Even my own family said horrible things about me."

"That doesn't mean they should," Raven objected.

"That does not mean they will stop," Archangel said, ending the conversation.

They had reached the top floor to the common room. Beast Boy had been waiting for them, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Raven also noticed that Robin had at least made it as far as the kitchen. He was, at present, sitting at the counter, still not speaking to Starfire. "Guys!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "You'll never believe what we got in the mail. Look!"

He held up a flyer. Archangel only shrugged. "So, what is it?" he asked.

"Oh right," Beast Boy realized, "there's a carnival in town. Can we go, please?"

This last statement of pleading was directed towards Robin. "I don't know if that's such a good idea," Raven objected.

While Robin had not revealed the details of his past, or his identity, Raven knew a few vague details from having been in his mind. She knew that things associated with circuses and carnivals might be a touchy subject. "But it only comes once a year, if that," Beast Boy whined. "There will be rides."

"Which we can find at the boardwalk," Cyborg reminded.

"And games,' Beast Boy continued.

"Are these not also at the walk on the boards?" Starfire asked.

"A petting zoo," he continued.

"I don't do petting zoos," Raven said, stoically, "and between you and Archangel, we've already got one."

Even Archangel had to laugh. "And a show," Beast Boy said, grasping at strings.

"Not my thing," Robin said, finalizing the argument.

"Aw c'mon, please?" Beast Boy begged. "Where's your sense of wonder? It's not like we were doing anything tonight anyway."

He proceeded to transform into a small puppy and looked at each of them with his big, sorrowful eyes. Starfire, of course, was the first to crack. "Oh, I cannot help it when he does that face," she said, scooping him up.

Beast Boy smirked, knowing he had got them. "Fine," Robin said, "we'll check it out, but I won't like it."

XxX

The six heroes stood before a worn, cloth sign, hanging over a tree branch that said, "Carnival" in big letters, although some of the letters had completely faded, making it say "Ca n v l." The carnival had set up in a dead field on the east side of Jump City. It was still early evening, and none of the rides were lit, but they could see the creaky structures with chipped paint. It was also pretty empty, the only sound being the wind whipping through the many tent flaps of the various booths. "Well this looks promising," Raven said.

"It's just its charm," Beast Boy said, running ahead of the group. "Come on, bet I can win you a prize!"  
"After the giant chicken," Raven said, "gee, how lucky can one girl get?"

"There is no one else here," Starfire said. "It is most unsettling."

"Ditto," Cyborg agreed.

"That is because we do not open until nightfall," a voice said from behind them.

All of the Titans jumped, startled by the sudden presence. Behind them stood the most unusual looking man they had ever seen. He was particularly tall, with thin, boney legs. He had a barrel-chest though, making a rather unusual figure. He was balding in patches and appeared as though he had not shaved for a few days. He wore an ill-fitting, red and white, striped suit that could barely contain his unusual figure, and the outfit had several food stains on it. His pock-marked face was complete with a small, pug-like nose, crooked teeth, and a wicked gleam in his hazel-colored eyes. His voice was rather wheezy as well. Every one of the Titans had an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

"Where are my manners?" the man said, making a grand bow. "P. D. Larnum at your service. Don't tell me, you're the Teen Titans. I have heard many things about this unusual team."

"Um yeah," Robin replied, being the first one brave enough to speak, "we didn't realize how late you started. Beast Boy was a little eager to get here."

"No trouble at all my dear boy," P. D. smirked. "Since you are already here, you might as well look around before the evening's activities begin."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy beamed, as he sped off.

Raven was massaging the bridge of her nose. "I'll try to keep him from burning the place down," she said, following him.

Starfire had tried to go with Robin, but he had already wandered off, still giving her the silent treatment. Cyborg had offered to let her tag along with him and Archangel, but still upset, she had opted to go off on her own.

Beast Boy had managed to find the fortune teller's tent. It was unoccupied at the moment, so Beast Boy took to snooping around. At the table, as usual, was a crystal ball and a deck of tarot cards, but he was more interested in the knickknacks on the shelves around the tents. There were several unknown items floating in jars, a few articulated skeletons, a strand of garlic hanging from the ceiling, and a collection of other mystical artifacts. Beast Boy was busy tapping at a jar containing an eyeball. "You just can't leave well enough alone," Raven snapped behind him.

Beast Boy jumped, knocking over the jar, but catching it just in time. "Raven, that's not funny," Beast Boy said, trying to act as though he was not scared.

"Well, you were the one touching things you weren't supposed to." Raven defended.

"C'mon, you're not just the least bit curious," Beast Boy said, getting a closer look at the crystal ball, as it magnified his wide mouth several times over. "I mean, this is the kind of weird stuff you're into." Raven only rolled her eyes. Beast Boy did not seem to notice. "I mean, haven't you ever wondered what the future holds?"

"In case you have forgotten," Raven said, "I do get glimpses of the future."

Beast Boy was busy looking through the tarot cards. "Yeah, but you never bother to look into the important stuff," he said. "I mean, now that you're not the beginning of the apocalypse, haven't you ever wanted to know stuff like if you'll get married, or things like that?"

"Some things are best left unknown," Raven said, trying not to sound offended. "Besides, I can already tell your future involves pain."

"Wait, how?" Beast Boy perked up. Raven grabbed him by his pointy ear. "Ow!" he yelped.

"Aw yeah! Check this out," Cyborg said to Archangel. "It's one of those old test your strength games."

They stood before the massive structure. Cyborg handed the mallet to Archangel. "Here, all you gotta do is hit this pad here with this hammer."

He made sure Archangel understood the concept before turning him loose with the hammer. Sucking in a deep breath, he hefted the mallet over his head, and slammed down on the pad. A solid clang resounded. "Nice one Archie!" Cyborg hollered. "My turn."

Archangel was still covering his ears, having not expected that sound. Cyborg took the mallet and reared it over his head. He looked at his arm to see his muscle readouts at 100% before swinging. The clang sounded more like a crunch as Cyborg blew the bell off the tower. The crumpled remains of the bell fell to the ground, at the feet of P. D. "Uh sorry about that," Cyborg grinned. "Guess I overdid it."

"Nonsense," the strange man replied, "just means I need to build a bigger tower."

"Betcha Starfire could launch it into orbit," Cyborg whispered to Archangel.

Robin was outside the main tent, looking at the posters for the night's show. He was staring blankly at the poster advertising a trapeze act. He knew it was a bad idea to come tonight. He was already mad, and looking at these posters, which stirred up old memories, was not helping. P. D. had left Cyborg and Archangel and was standing behind him. "Acrobats interest you?" he asked.

"Not really," Robin lied. "I was just looking at tonight's show."

P. D. seemed to not notice. "I'm not surprised that they would interest you," he pressed on. "I believe some of your moves resemble an acrobat. You would've made a great one."

"Yeah, whatever," Robin said, giving him a suspicious glare.

Starfire had found a clearing in the carnival where several poles, displaying old, cloth signs hung. While the signs were old, they looked in much better condition than the entrance. The signs themselves displayed an odd array of human figures. One had two heads. Another had four arms. And still another had a horn in the middle of its forehead not all that unlike the one she had when she went through transformation. The signs flapped in the wind, the smiling figures like ghosts from a faraway past. It sent a shiver down her spine. She heard Raven coming up behind her, dragging Beast Boy along. "Raven, I have never seen humans like this," Starfire said at last. "Please, what are these signs for?"

"It's a freak show," Raven replied. "Years ago, carnivals used to have them. They were awful shows that exploited humans, people who were born or developed unusual, physical conditions."

Starfire's eyes narrowed as she glared at the offensive posters. "Exploitive is a relative term," P. D. said as he came up behind them, followed by the rest of the Titans. "I see you found my collection of curiosity posters. Years ago, this carnival had one of the most fantastic, curiosity shows this side of the States. I found the old posters, and just couldn't part with them."

"They're offensive," Raven stated shortly.

"Debatable," P. D. said back, "you see, these shows were in many ways the only way these people could have any semblance of a normal life. They had a job, a sense of community, and in most cases families through these shows."

"They were also mocked and abused," Raven added. "They wouldn't have needed that kind of 'normal' life if society didn't treat them like monsters."

"But society did," he argued, "and what were they going to do?"

The sun had begun to set. "Look at the time," P. D. said, taking out a handkerchief, and wiping his forehead. Something had fallen out of his pocket. "I must be getting ready," P. D. said.

A noxious, green gas began to spew from whatever had dropped on the ground. P. D. covered his nose and mouth with his handkerchief before the Titans realized what was happening. As the gas cleared out, six Titans lay unconscious on the ground. "If you will excuse me," he said to no one in particular, "I have a show to prepare for."

XxX

Robin began to stir and groggily tried to sit up. As he became more aware, he realized he was sitting on the merry-go-round, which had now been fully lit. He was the only one on it though as its spinning ground to a halt with a creak. His vision was still blurry, but he could not mistake P.D. Larnum's figure stepping onto the merry-go-round. "Well, look who just woke up," he said, "and just in time, too." He held out his hand. "Come Robin, the show is about to begin."

"Friends," Robin mumbled, still regaining control of his brain, "where are they? What happened?"

Robin held a hand to his spinning head as P.D. helped him off the horse. "All will be explained in a moment," P.D. said, his voice eerily soothing, "come."

Robin followed, though he was very much uneasy. P.D. was leading him to the main tent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw new banners had been put up, but he did not have time to see the pictures on them. He caught a glimpse of the words on one as it read "Old Scratch." One was so dark, he did not know what was on it, but he could have sworn the picture had four red eyes. And he almost did a double-take when he thought he saw a picture of two, glowing, green eyes on another, but P.D. only dragged him along.

As the tent flap was opened, he could see dozens of faces waiting expectantly for the large, green curtain at the other end to open. None of the faces in the audience looked familiar, and Robin began to worry more. He tried to jerk his hand out of the carnival owner's. "Relax, Robin," he said, pushing him down into a seat, "you will see your friends, sooner than you think."

Robin could offer little protest as the lights began to dim. The curtain opened and a barker stepped out on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "P.D. Larnum has searched the globe for you lovely people to bring you this collection of magnificent curiosities."

"I thought you said you no longer did a freak show," Robin growled.

"Shh!"

"For our first act," the barker continued, "he was brought back from the exotic Middle East. He is as old as the earth itself. He is sin incarnate. It is Old Scratch, in the flesh."

A cage was wheeled out onto the stage, and when Robin realized who was in it, his jaw almost dropped to the floor. Archangel had shackles around his wrists and ankles. His skin and fur had been spray-painted red to make him look like Satan. They had obviously made him keep his wings out, giving him very little space to move around in the cage. "Come now, take a closer look at the beast!" the barker hollered. "Don't be shy. He can't hurt you trapped like this." He banged on the cage bars with the butt of his whip, making Archangel flinch.

An audience member in the front row began to shout obscenities and threw a bag of peanuts at Archangel. Robin now noticed the metal collar around his friend's neck. He saw Archangel react to a pulse in the device and emit a guttural sound, bordering on a roar, as flames launched from his hands. "Stop it!" Robin cried. "He's disoriented."

The barker began to beat back Archangel with the butt of his whip, and he reacted to another pulse from the device and became more subdued. "What have you done to them?" Robin hissed.

"Nothing he hasn't already done to himself," P.D. replied with a smirk. "These collars only bring up your friends' insecurities about themselves, making them more…complacent. Any torture they are going through they have already brought on themselves. I am only tapping into it."

Robin only gritted his teeth as he watched another jolt from the collar rile up Archangel again to roar and swing his chains, causing them to clang against the bars. "Although, it might alter their personalities a little," P.D. corrected. "After all, I need them to be performers, not just to stand there and look ugly."

"I'm gonna-" Robin said as he tried to stand up.

He soon became aware that he had been chained to his own seat. "Sit down, Robin," P.D. said, holding the key, "Old Scratch is only the first act."

"And if you thought Old Scratch was something," the barker continued as they wheeled Archangel away, still growling and snorting, "then wait 'til you see his spawn."

"Raven," Robin gasped, dreading what was coming.

Raven had only been bound by the wrists. She had been stripped of her blue cloak, leaving her exposed and vulnerable. The barker dragged her out by her chain, Raven's fingernails leaving scratch marks on the stage. She was clearly terrified, which Robin had rarely seen. "Don't be fooled by her human appearance," the barker said. "I ask you to stand back. Now why don't we show them what your true face looks like."

Raven, wide-eyed, but silent, tried to scoot away from him. The barker held his whip. "I command you to show yourself!" he roared.

A pulse came through her collar, triggering her rage. In an instant, she became a horrible mix of her soul-self and demon self. With her four glowing eyes, she had formed a raven upper half, with her dark magic tentacles underneath, which whipped around the stage so fast, even the barker was no longer in control. Darkness filled the tent, and horrid shadows danced on the walls. An audience member, who was too close, was picked up and swung around, screaming. P.D. frowned and nodded to his barker, who sent another pulse to Raven, shutting her down. She was reduced back to the timid girl who was dragged onto the stage. "I did warn you ladies and gentlemen," the barker said, trying to calm the audience. "Why do you think we keep her sire in a cage? Now-"

"I will get you for this," Robin cursed, "you dirty-"

"Temper, Robin," P. D. taunted. "Now, I think you'll want to see this next act."

Raven had already been taken away, and the barker was trying to coax the next act out. All he could hear was a light whimpering. "No," Robin breathed.

"Come now, my dear," the barker wheedled, feigning kindness. "These nice people only want to see you."

Robin heard shuffling and the whimpering got louder. The barker gritted his teeth, and yanked on the chain. "When I say come, you come," he shouted.

Her wrists bound, Starfire could not catch herself as she was pulled to the ground. Her cheeks were stained with tears. She kept her body limp as the barker pulled her up to her feet. "Now, this one we found straight outta Roswell. An alien race bent on our destruction, good people. We saved her just to show you how dangerous these savages can be. Now, notice the eyes…"

The barker began to prod at her with the butt of his whip as he explained with much flourish, and mostly lies, her alien body. Starfire did not lash out, but only glowered every time he touched her. "You know, she just isn't as big a ticket seller as I had expected," P.D. sighed. "Really, her only selling point are her alien organs. And I do know a museum that would pay top dollar."

Robin's eyes widened, about to lose it then and there. "Relax, Robin," P.D. said, reading Robin's expression, "your friends are my only freaks. I can't sell them off yet."

"You're a monster," Robin said under his breath.

"I'm not the monster," P.D. scoffed. "Here you are giving them false hope that they can have lives outside of circus tents and jars of formaldehyde. They don't belong here, Robin. The world didn't want them, and now I have to clean up the mess."

Robin could not get over how twisted this guy really was. "Now then," the barker said to Starfire, "let's show them how dangerous you really are."

He tried to trigger her through her collar. She flinched, but resisted. "That's how it's going to be huh?" the barker grinned as he pulled back the whip.

He struck her with a loud crack across her back. Starfire let out a primal scream, hovering in the air, her eyes and hands glowing. The barker still had a hold on her chain, keeping her tethered to the ground. She cursed and shouted in Tamaranean, launching a few starbolts at the barker. She tried to fly away, but he held on. Although the device around her neck made her more subdued, her Tamaranean strength was allowing her to drag the barker along the ground. He pulled on the chain, slowly forcing her to the ground. Once she was low enough, he pounced on her, trying to hold her down. He used his elbow to lean into her rib cage. This made her only kick and thrash harder, pure terror in her eyes. Robin yanked at his own chains, desperate to help her. Other carnival workers rushed to hold her down, dragging her slowly away.

Robin could hear clunking footsteps and knew what was coming next. The controlling device on Cyborg was attached to the cybernetic part of his brain, making him docile enough to not need to be chained up like the others. He took slow, heel-to-toe steps out onto the stage, his face a blank stare. "A modern-day Frankenstein," the barker announced, "virtually indestructible and with removable parts. Observe…"

He commanded Cyborg to remove his arm, and then proceed to move his fingers while the arm was removed. He put Cyborg through several demeaning, simple tasks like that, making him appear as though he were capable of only minimal thought. "Cyborg is not a robot," Robin growled.

"I think everyone else would beg to differ," P.D. retorted.

"More machine than man folks. Now, for the grand finale."

Beast Boy was the last to be dragged out. They had given him only a leopard-skin loincloth to wear. "Deep in the jungles we found this one," the barker proclaimed, "and he's not just only a feral child. I give you the Walking Menagerie."

There was only minor applause. "I see he has not impressed you yet. A demonstration…"

With a crack of his whip, he proceeded to force Beast Boy into a series of transformations. He went from a rabbit, to a wolf, to a tiger, to an elephant, to a triceratops. The rapid succession of transformations was wearing Beast Boy out, Robin could tell. "Still not impressed?" the barker egged on. "How about something more…mythical?"

Jolting Beast Boy through his collar, he was forced into the transformation into a chimera. Robin recalled asking Beast Boy if he could transform into mythical creatures. Beast Boy said it was possible, but difficult and painful to him. Trying to manage three heads at once, Robin could see the pain in Beast Boy's eyes. The show had concluded and the audience had left. "What are you going to do to me now?" Robin spat. "I've seen your horrid show. You know I'm just going to fight you."

"I only wanted to give you a chance to see your friends one last time, to see the happy life they will have without you," P.D. sneered.

Robin soon found himself surrounded by P.D.'s carnival workers, ready to attack.

XxX

Robin was still chained to the large bench in the back of the tent, limiting his mobility. Robin counted five workers surrounding him, not including P.D. Only two of them were armed; one with a rusty pipe and the other had a heavy piece of wood. The one with the pipe made a dash for him, but he sidestepped him, and using his chain, tripped the thug over. As he struggled to heft his massive body up, another ran to tackle Robin. Using only the strength in his legs, Robin jumped over him, sending the brute careening into the wooden bench, snapping it into hundreds of splintered pieces. While he did not have the freedom of his hands, Robin was at least not tethered to the bench anymore. Using his wrists, Robin could whip the chain around, forcing the others to keep their distance. One tried to get him from behind, but Robin, ever alert, swung the chain around, knocking him out. That left him with only four conscious threats, and he still needed to snatch the key to his chains from P.D.

The one with the piece of wood started taking a few good swings at him. Robin could only dodge instead of parry the attacks. The thug began to wear out though, and Robin kicked his weapon out of his hand. He then looped his arms around his neck and kneed him in the gut. The thug doubled over, leaving him out of the fight for the time being. Robin could not keep up like this. He needed to get that key. He made a run for P.D. Using his bound fists, he socked the man in the nose, knocking him back. As P.D. writhed on the floor, Robin snagged the key from his pocket and ran.

"What are you standing there for?" P.D. yelled at the workers. "Get him!"

Robin held his breath as he hid behind the fortune teller's tent. He could hear the thundering footsteps of the carnival workers as they ran by him. Letting out a sigh of relief, he took this respite to undo the chains on his wrists. While he was fully able to fight now, he knew he could not do it alone. He had to rescue his friends.

He searched all around the carnival grounds, being careful not to be seen by anyone. He was starting to worry P.D. had hidden his friends away from the rest of the carnival, when he heard a scuttling sound. In the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move in the caged-cart off to the side, as if something was avoiding being seen. He got close to it, still unable to see its occupant. Using P.D.'s ring of keys, he found one that fit the lock and opened the door. The scuttling occurred again as whoever it was, farther backed themselves into the corner. As Robin eased closer, he saw Starfire, huddled in the corner, like a trapped animal, tears in her big green eyes. But that was not Starfire in there, he knew. That collar around her neck was what did this. If he could just get it off, she would be back. "Starfire, it's me," Robin said, trying to calm her. "I'm going to get you out, but you have to let me get that thing off your neck."

Starfire's body quickly tensed up as she prepared to defend herself. Her eyes lit up and she proceeded to shout at him in Tamaranean. Robin was a little taken aback. This was almost exactly like the time they had met, as he tried to get her handcuffs off. He continued to proceed cautiously. As he reached for her neck, something snapped, and he was pretty sure the collar had something to do with it. Her eyes narrowed and she threw herself at Robin, pinning him to the ground. Starbolts began to emanate from her hands. After having met Starfire, Robin adjusted the material in his costume to sustain the heat that came from her starbolts, just in case a stray one ever hit him. However, it would not last long in direct contact like this. Starfire's position kept Robin very well immobilized. Her warrior background had given her that. But Robin had insisted long ago that the Titan's train against each other on occasion, just to prepare for villains who used mind control.

He hated to do it, but using what little movement he could muster, he struggled in all the right places to loosen her hold on his legs. He then quickly slid his feet to her stomach, and using the muscles in his thighs, pushed her off. He wasted no time to take the advantage and spring upon her, making a grab for the collar. Starfire thrashed and bucked wildly as he struggled to get a grip to see how to remove it. "Starfire, you're going to have to fight this," Robin said. "You've fought these insecurities before. Remember your transformation? Val-yor? You can fight this. That's why you resisted it on stage. Starfire, you are the one person I know who is the most confident in who she is. Please Starfire, I can't help you unless you let me."

And there, for a fleeting moment, he saw her eyes, and knew the real Starfire was there. She still struggled with him, but she did not fight back as wildly as she had before. Robin was still unsure though of how to remove the device. Then suddenly, Starfire brushed his hands away. And slowly, as she seemed to fight with herself, brought her own hand to it and crushed the collar with her own strength. "Starfire? You're back, right?" Robin said as he got off of her.

She quickly wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you Robin," she said gently.

She looked and saw the singe marks on his uniform. "I did that?" she said, becoming disappointed.

"It's fine Star," You have an excuse," Robin replied. "I'm more worried about what they did to you. That barker hit your back hard with that whip."

He reached out for her shoulder to turn her around and check her injuries. She flinched and brushed him away. "I am unharmed," she said quickly. "I have…everything is fine."

Robin raised his eyebrows in suspicion, but said nothing. He led her out of the cart. "We've got to go find the others," Robin said. "Do you know where he took them?"

"I do not," Starfire said. "I am worried though. Those horrible collars did awful things to us. The memories they bring back… I remember seeing some of the others' behaviors under its influence. I have never seen Archie that violent before."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah…right," Robin said, with just a touch of bitterness.

Her eyes narrowed. "You are still upset about our argument this morning," she accused.

"Starfire, we don't have time for this right now," Robin said, as he peeked around a booth to see if the coast was clear.

"If this affects how we work together as a team, then we must discuss it," Starfire affirmed.

Robin gritted his teeth. "Fine, you want to talk about this now?" he said. "I'm not mad it happened. A little surprised maybe. I'm mad because you didn't trust me enough to tell me. So give me one good reason why I should trust you now!"

Starfire fought back tears, but gave him a steady answer. "You keep secrets about your past. Why should you be allowed to keep those when I must be the opening book?"

Robin sighed. "I understand you have secrets about your past too, and I don't force you to tell me. But something like this, one silly story, why did it have to be a secret?"

Starfire looked crestfallen. "Raven was concerned for the same reason. I let a story that is nothing become something that has upset you."

"And is it something? Do you-"

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a voice shout, "This way!"

They had been found. "We'll have to split up to find everyone," Robin said, "I'll find Raven." He paused before making his next statement. If he was going to make any progress in his argument, he had to try and see her side of it. "You get Archangel."

"You are certain?"

He smiled back at her. "If anyone can get through to him, it's you."

XxX

Starfire had found Archangel's cage not too far away. She had pried apart the bars of the cage and stepped in, being very cautious. The collar had drastically altered his personality, but then, if what Robin said was true, that the device only brought out their own insecurities, then somewhere, deep inside her friend was this hurt and angry person. On some level, she knew she had seen parts of this side of him before, but never as bad as this. What had happened to that gentle-hearted boy she knew so well? "Archie?" she called as she stepped forward.

He growled lowly and backed away from her. He could not go far as the cage was small, and with his wings open, he was rather large. Starfire never realized just how much he had grown in those eight years since they were apart. She could see the fear written in his face. "Please," I will not harm you," Starfire soothed, reaching out for him, "you must let me assist you."

He avoided her touch and could not let his face meet hers. Starfire pulled her hand back, realizing the problem. "But that is not what you fear," she thought aloud.

She now knew what had changed in all those years. "Please Archie," she pleaded, "you are not like that. You are not like them. You are not one of them. That is what made you you. Please Archie."

His neck twitched as a pulse went through his collar. He howled, snapping his chains in half in his rage and charged at her. She flew to the ceiling of the cage as he fell head first out of the hole in the cage where she had pried open the bars. She flew after him to ensure he was safe, but he already turned around, knowing her scent. This was not an ideal situation, but she knew she had to fight him. He charged at her again. This time, she picked him up by the horns and threw him to the ground, back first. She held back her attacks so as not to seriously injure him. If she had executed that move properly, she would have shattered his spine. He winced, but still under P.D.'s control, he forced himself up for another round. He ignited his clenched fists and rushed in for another attack.

XxX

Robin found Raven placed rather far away from the rest of the carnival. While Raven preferred her alone time, total isolation had drastically negative effects on her. Robin knew P.D. had done this on purpose. Knowing how much resistance Starfire had put up, he was certain Raven would put up a fight, and it would not be pretty. Her back was facing him and she sat with her knees bundled up to her chest, slowly rocking back and forth. "Raven?" Robin coaxed, ready to fight back if needed.

"Go," she replied shortly.

"Raven, I'm here to get you out. I just need you to-"

"Evil."

"No. No, Raven, you are not evil. We didn't let you believe that before, and I'm not going to now," Robin argued.

He slowly reached out for her, but in an instant, she whipped around and snatched him up with a dark tendril. Struggling, Robin managed to reach into his belt for a birdarang and flipped it open. He had never figured out if these black wisps of magic were in any way physically connected to her, and so he proceeded with caution as he wedged it between them. He was gentle as he tried to slice the bonds holding him, hoping that if it did cause her pain, she would recoil. As expected, she hissed and dropped him. Taking a running start, Robin shot his grappling hook towards a nearby tree. As the rope circled around a branch, he swung, narrowly avoiding another of Raven's attacks, released, and caught Raven's shoulder from behind. He began to try to remove the collar from her neck. Although, trying to hold on as she thrashed about proved harder. Once again, he was going to need her help, but talking her down like Starfire was not an easy option.

There was another way though, and Robin had to act quickly if it was going to work. He started pulling at the collar, trying to egg her on. Like he had expected, one of the tendrils came speeding towards him. As it got close, he moved out of the way and it pierced through the collar, short-circuiting it. Raven slowly came back to her senses, becoming herself once more. She removed the rest of the collar with her magic, crushing it into hundreds of pieces. Robin could tell she was still pretty shaken up from its effects, and gently put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Thanks," she said, "P.D.'s going to have-"

Before she could finish though, the two saw Starfire and Archangel buzzing around each other. They could tell she was struggling, as she tried to hold herself back, but he kept attacking her at full force. Carnival workers were also starting to take notice and were heading in their direction. "I'll help her," Raven said, "you find Cyborg and Beast Boy."

XxX

Archangel had practically thrown himself at Starfire. She tried desperately to parry his frenzied punches, his fists glowing as flames surrounded them. She flitted around him and threw her arms underneath his from behind, wrenching his arms over his head. This was hard, given that his wings were in the way, and he knew that. He flapped them wildly, loosening her grip so that he could fly away. He was ready to strike again. Starfire did not want to do it, but she launched a low-powered starbolt at his wings. It was just enough to stun him, and he fell to the ground. Starfire landed beside him, trying to make a move for his collar. He was quick to get up though, and made a running charge for her once more. She braced as his head and horns made contact with her chest and stomach. The real Archangel would have known better. She kept her feet firmly planted, and her strength kept her from being knocked over. Archangel's charge slowed as her feet drug in the ground, eventually driving him to a halt.

He was unable to react quickly enough as Starfire wrapped her arms around his lower back and picked him up, holding him upside down. She had learned years ago that by doing this, it took him a few minutes to get reoriented. Shifting him into one hand, she tried to reach for his collar. He swung his hooves, nearly missing her head a few times. Unable to get him to hold still, he struggled out of her arms. Starfire tried to pounce on him to hold him down, but before she could do anything, a loose juggling pin, surrounded by a black aura soared by, attracting Archangel's attention. "Over here!" Raven shouted. "Come at me!"

Archangel took the bait, and flew after Raven. It proved difficult to stay ahead of him. Raven had never seen him fly with such fury. She tried to throw loose objects at him as they flew over the carnival, but they were moving so fast, it was difficult for her to concentrate on moving items and levitating at the same time. She could feel him within a hair of her feet. Before he could reach out though, Starfire dove on top of him and the two skidded to the ground, the impact creating a large rut in the dirt. As Starfire held him down, Raven disintegrated the collar with her magic. The rage in his heart was lifted, and his tension subsided. He lay there for a while, catching his breath. He groaned as he got up, now feeling the results of his encounter with Starfire. "I did not mean to harm you," Starfire said, feeling a little guilty, "but-"

"But talking you down was going nowhere," Raven finished.

He nodded in understanding and stood. "Why does my skin feel sticky?" he asked.

"Paint," Raven replied. She could hear the sound of carnival workers getting near. "I'll explain later. Right now, we've still got Cyborg and Beast Boy to save. Starfire, Robin went to find Cyborg. Archangel, come with me."

XxX

As Robin had suspected, Cyborg was not as heavily guarded as the others because his device was implanted into his hard drive. He still approached with caution. "Cyborg, I know the human part of you is in there somewhere," Robin said, as he took tentative steps forward, "and I want you to know you're more than a glorified toaster. You're my friend."

He saw a slight twitch in his facial muscles. There was hope. "I need you to fight this thing. I need you to ignore whatever thoughts it brings up."

Still no movement. Not good, but not bad either, Robin thought. He reached up to grab the implant. Still no reaction. Robin tried to work quickly to pull it off. This however, set off a reaction from Cyborg's robot half. In a split second, his hand grabbed Robin by the throat and picked him up. Robin struggled, but could not free himself from Cyborg's iron grip. At the same time though, Robin could tell that Cyborg was fighting the device. His grip would slacken every so often as he tried to force himself to let go. However, Cyborg's resistance could only go so far. Robin could see the strain in his one, human eye, but knew that the change to his programming was too great.

In that instant, Starfire slammed into the side of Cyborg, knocking him over, and releasing Robin. Taking a firm hold on the implant, she crushed it in her hand. "Whoa, easy there, Starfire," Robin said as he stood up. "You didn't have to hit him that hard."

"'Bout time someone knocked some sense into me though," Cyborg said, touching the place where the implant had been, just to be certain it was not there.

"At least you two were the easy ones," Robin said. "I assume you finally freed Archangel?"

"Yes, but with great difficulty," Starfire replied. "He and Raven went to find Beast Boy."

As if on cue, a gigantic Ankylosaurs came thundering past them, collar still intact. Raven and Archangel followed behind. "That didn't go as well as I had hoped," Raven muttered as they all watched the destruction unfold.

Robin could also hear the voices of the carnival workers, as they were catching up to them. "Looks like the party's coming to us. We don't have much time," Robin said. "We've got to help Beast Boy and quick."

Beast Boy lumbered away from them towards a tree. Turning into a monkey, he scampered up the limbs. Starfire was close behind and hovered next to him. "Do not fear, Beast Boy," she coaxed. "It is I, Starfire, your friend. I know what that device does to you. Please understand that you are loved and cherished and-"

Beast Boy screeched and leapt upon her. He ran from one shoulder to the other, down her back, and around her legs. He was too quick for her to catch. He leapt down to the ground and ran off. He did not get too far before he was staring down the barrel of Cyborg's sonic cannon. "I don't want to have to do this B," he said. "You can fight it."

Beast Boy only glowered and shifted into an elephant and charged at Cyborg. Knocking him back, his cannon misfired in the air. By now, Robin had caught up. He launched a grappling hook at Beast Boy's massive legs. He quickly transformed into a cheetah and pounced upon Robin before he could react. Beast Boy could hear Raven chasing behind him though. "Azarath, Metrion, oof-"

Beast Boy sprung upon her, teeth barred, aiming for her throat. Raven threw up a shield to try and block him. He was forceful and persistent though, and kept snapping at her. "Beast Boy, you're the one who makes me feel like I'm not a freak," Raven said as she struggled. "Don't you believe in half the stuff you tell me?"

That made him pause for a moment. Something about that statement gave him enough willpower to try to fight the power of the collar. Raven seized the opportunity. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she muttered quietly.

The collar snapped in two and fell to the ground, and Beast Boy transformed back into his human self. "Thanks, Raven," he said weakly, "I needed that."

"This way!" they heard a carnival worker shout.

XxX

When P.D. and his workers caught up, they found only an empty field. "Find them," he said, grabbing one by the shirt collar. "Split up and find my freaks!"

"You don't have to look far," Robin said from behind him.

"Yeah, like maybe a mirror," Beast Boy added.

P.D. found himself surrounded by the Titans. He gritted his teeth. This changes nothing," he said. "You are still a bunch of-"

"Superheroes?" Beast Boy finished. "Yeah, we know, and we're pretty good at it."

"Titans, go!"

Half a dozen set upon Cyborg and Archangel. "Found these after Robin and Starfire helped me," Cyborg said, handing Archangel his sword and horn.

Archangel smiled. "I have an idea then," he said. "Aim your sonic cannon for our nearest adversary."

As Cyborg took aim, Archangel released a mighty blast from his horn, shaking the ground at their feet and bringing their attackers to their knees, covering their ears. Archangel nodded to Cyborg, who took the signal and fired. The increased vibrations amplified the blast from the cannon, knocking the men over like bowling pins, completely stunning them. An aura encased tent had been pulled from its spikes and enshrouded the men, eventually trapping them in a bundle, Raven very close by. "Aw yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about, Archie," Cyborg said. "Old school and new school teaming up."

Raven was presently fighting two more carnival workers. "You wanted scary right?" she quipped. "Try this on for size."

Becoming her soul self, she began to encircle the two at high speed, slowly lifting them off the ground as she spun faster. At first, they were quite frightened, but one became bold enough to stick his switchblade into the blackness that was encircling them. Reeling back and becoming herself once more, Raven clutched her arm, trying to heal it, before her attackers could get close enough again. They did not have time to. A green pterodactyl picked each one up in its talons and soared high into the air. Both men began to scream frantically. Beast Boy kept them like this for a moment, laughing to himself before swooping down and throwing them into a carnival cart. Archangel sealed the lock.

Starfire had taken it upon herself to take on the barker. He still had his whip in hand, as if it were only an extension of his arm. He smirked, feeling rather sure of himself and reared it back. With every crack of the whip, Starfire seemed to instantly vanish, she flew so fast. "Hold still, alien scum," he said, becoming more frustrated each time.

This time, the whip made contact as she let it wrap around her arm, not even flinching. Taking a firm grip on her end, Starfire dragged the barker forward. Eyes glowing, she picked him up by the shirt collar. "You do not touch me, again," she shouted.

With minimal effort, she threw him into another metal trailer, his body making a solid dent. Even Cyborg winced as he secured the lock. Robin had meanwhile taken out several thugs, now with the full movement of his body. Behind him came one, carrying the sledge hammer from the test of strength game. Hearing his heavy footsteps, Robin used his staff to vault up in the air and loop his body around to kick the guy from behind. All of the carnival workers had been incapacitated. All that remained was P.D., who was tiptoeing away. Robin grabbed him by the coat collar, dragging him down to eye level. "Uh, no hard feelings right?" P.D. chuckled nervously, pulling his collar.

He was thrown in one of the caged carts that had previously held one of the titans. "Kinda fitting, I think," said Raven as he looked guiltily out at them.

"You could've been the best show this carnival ever had," P.D. whined.

"Show's over," said Robin.

XxX

The Titans had since returned home, and life seemed to resume to normal. Cyborg was busy rummaging through the fridge while the others sat around the dining table. Archangel had gone off on his own. "So, I'm the one who doesn't make you feel like a freak," Beast Boy said, drumming his fingers nervously on the table.

Raven took a sip of tea. "It's only after you usually insult me," she corrected, "but when you do apologize, it's sweet, and makes me feel like I belong."

While Starfire and Robin were sitting next to each other, they were not as close as they normally were. Their argument from earlier still hung in the air. Starfire was about to speak, when they all heard an unusual sound. It was a jingling sound, like bells of some sort, but it was only faint. The sound that resounded though was a sort of singing, but in a clearly different language. It was a clearly male voice, strong and projecting. It was beautiful, almost like a chanting. "What is that?" Raven asked.

Starfire listened a moment, and it dawned on her. On an ordinary day, the Titans' usual noise kept them from having heard it before. "I know that sound," she said." It is Archie. That is the sound of evening prayers. He always does this at sunset."

She had been concerned about him since their return. She made her way for the roof. Robin decided to follow. There was something he had to take care of. Up on the roof, Robin was rather amazed by what he saw. Archangel's prayer was more of an active meditation if anything else. Archangel moved in and out of various fighting stances, flames shooting from his palms and dissipating in midair. His hooves moved carefully and deftly. Robin could tell that each move was choreographed and held its own significance. Around his hooves, were tied straps with metallic shards dangling from them, creating the jingling sound they heard earlier. At one point, Archangel went into a dizzying spin while launching flames, creating a fiery vortex that was awe inspiring. While each of these moves were ceremonial and religiously significant, Robin knew he would not like to be on the receiving end of such an attack. He slowed to a close, just as the sun crept below the horizon. How could he possibly have timed it that well? He turned towards them, having noted their presence earlier. Starfire nodded her head, making an unusual gesture with her left hand. The first two fingers were bent slightly, her ring finger rested on her thumb, and her pinky was raised straight upright. Somehow, and Robin could not think of where, this looked familiar. Archangel could not see it, but she still did it out of respect. "Malakb protect us this night," she greeted.

He returned the greeting by striking his chest with his fist, as Robin had seen Galfore do before. "X'hal willing," he returned.

"I wanted to know if you are well since our return," she continued.

"I will heal," he said. "I am most fortunate that you did not have to cause more injury to subdue me."

"That is not-" Starfire began, but stopped. She knew he was purposefully lying to her, and avoiding the real question. She also knew that Archangel could be stubborn when he wanted to, and it would be no use pressing him for an answer.

"Besides, I believe you have more important matters that require your attention," he said, nodding towards Robin.

"Actually, it's you I wanted to talk to," Robin said at last. "I wanted to apologize, about what I said about you earlier."

Archangel raised his eyebrows in feigned ignorance. "C'mon, Starfire said you probably heard me," Robin continued. "I was…I don't know what I was feeling, but that was no excuse to imply you were anything less than a person."

Archangel smiled. "I never accepted that belief," he said, "but I am grateful for your apology all the same, and it is accepted."

XxX

Night had come upon Titan's Tower, and the heroes had retired for the night. Starfire was lying down on her bed, reading an old, Tamaranean cookbook, one of her favorites to be exact, while Silkie chewed on his squeaky ball on the floor. She had been contemplating introducing her friends to one of her favorite Tamaranean desserts. Her thoughts were interrupted however by a soft knock on her door. "Starfire, it's me," she heard Robin's voice through the door, "can we talk?"

The door slid open slowly. Robin was standing outside in his red and black pajama pants and a black t-shirt. He brushed his feet against the floor nervously. "So, we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation," he said, shyly.

Starfire sighed, "No, we did not. Perhaps you will come in. I believe this is a conversation that stays between us, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. That makes sense," he said, stepping in.

He sat on the edge of her bed, his knees shaking as he tried to settle his nerves. He had not expected Starfire to sit so close beside him. He took a deep breath. "So, now that we've had time to really think about it," he started, "I think I'm the one who owes you an apology. I overreacted and shouldn't have taken it so personally."

Starfire shrugged. "I should not have made the assumption that you would be upset. I should have told you."

"I just don't want you to feel scared to tell me something," Robin added. "I would never want you to feel like that."

"I know that," she said, brushing her legs against his. "I think I frighten myself sometimes, and that is why I do not always share."

"Could've fooled me," Robin laughed, "you're better at it than Raven."

Starfire only sighed, not daring to let her eyes meet his. At that moment, Robin knew that there was something bigger underlying this whole conversation. "How about this," he said at last, "you promise to trust me not to get upset, and I will give you all the time you need to tell me things. Deal?"

He waited expectantly for a response. She chose to do so, in the form of a long and passionate kiss. Robin felt the sensation of melting right there. She began to lean back on her bed, and grabbing his shirt, gently guiding him to follow her. Supporting his knees on the edge of her bed and resting his hands on her mattress, he continued. She guided his hands towards her stomach. Robin had never really stopped to realize how warm she felt. The feeling of her warm skin against his hands felt nice, though he worried his palms were getting too sweaty. He took this gesture as a sign, and slowly began to move his hands toward the back of her shirt. He had only just grazed the edge of her back, when her eyes opened in surprise, with a hint of fear. She pushed his hands back down.

Okay, so maybe he would not get that far tonight, he thought to himself. Despite the rush that this was giving him, there was one nagging question in his heart. He had practiced it in his conversation before he came to her room, but the spontaneous make-out session had distracted him. "Starfire, I have to know," he said, gasping for breath at the same time, "and maybe this is why the whole thing became something, but do you have feelings for Archangel?"

Almost instantaneously, she sat up with an exasperated sigh. Boy, he really knew how to kill a mood, Robin thought, hating himself for even saying anything. He could not back out now though. It was already out in the open. "Look, I think that maybe, kinda sorta, this is why I got so upset," Robin continued as he sat up, "If you could just put my mind at ease, I'll drop it."

Starfire was pretty quiet at first. The minutes ticked by, feeling like hours to Robin. "I had asked myself the same question," she said so suddenly, Robin jumped a little. "At first, when I had known I would marry him, I do not think I had the feelings for him. Not in that way. We were small, and I knew him as a friend, a friend I could grow to experience the feelings for, but not then."

"And now?" Robin pressed on.

"And now," she continued, "he is still a cherished friend. For two years, he was my only friend. One does not simply forget a bond like that. But with you, there is more. With Archie, I am taken back to my past, a past that was not mine, but one chosen for me. With you, I am…home. I am where I want to be. That is something I only have when I am with you. Is that not clear?"

"It makes perfect sense, Star," Robin sighed, feeling guilty for ever having doubted her, "I don't know how I got so lucky."

XxX

Archangel had not intended to overhear Starfire's conversation with Robin. He had been heading back to his room when his keen sense of hearing picked up Robin's question. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he stuck around to hear Starfire's response. He hung his head as he heard her, tears staining the cloth covering his eyes. "Never once?" he seemed to ask her from behind the door.

He had grudgingly come to accept that she had feelings for Robin now. It was inevitable, he told himself. He had been out of her life for eight years. She was bound to find someone else. But Archangel had always comforted himself with the thought that at one time, during those two years they knew each other, she had come to love him back. He knew she cared for Robin now, but could he not at least have had the past?

"Are you crying?" a voice interrupted his thoughts

It was Raven. He knew that while her voice stayed its usual monotone, she was at least genuinely concerned. "No," he lied, "Cyborg and Beast Boy are engaging in the sport involving unwashed garments and-"

"Stank ball?" Raven finished. "Yeah, it does smell pretty ripe today."

Both were silent for a moment, not sure what to say next. Raven finally broke the ice. "So, about yesterday morning," she began, "listen, it wasn't my place to fight your battle for you."

"It is of no consequence," he said. "I understand the reaction."

Raven paused for a moment before making her next statement. "About that…P.D.'s devices only brought out our innermost insecurities. The reactions we had were entirely our own. Do you always get that violent when faced with them?"

"It did not used to be so," he said, after much hesitation.

"So, what changed?" Raven asked, looking at him with a suspicious glance. "Will that affect how you work with us?"

"I have since learned how to resist it," he said, rather shortly.

Raven put a hand on his shoulder, a gesture she almost never did. "Don't feel like you have to handle this alone," she said. "If we learned anything last night, it's that we've all been there before."

Archangel reached out and touched her hand, saying nothing, but saying everything to Raven. "So Robin tells me that your evening prayers are…interesting."

Archangel was quite glad for the change in conversation. "Yes, when night comes, that is the time Malakb fights all evil and darkness. Evening prayers celebrate him as the warrior, and thus, they are also a form of military training. Morning prayers celebrate him as creator of all things."

"And what do you do for that?" Raven asked.

He thought for a moment. "It is not all that dissimilar to your meditation."

"Perhaps I might join you sometime."

"I would like that very much."

The two parted ways after the exchange. Little did they know that someone had been watching them. Cyborg had a knowing smile on his face as he misinterpreted the exchange between the two. A wad of dirty clothes struck him in the face. "Ten points for me!" Beast Boy whooped.

"No way, grass stain," Cyborg called back, bringing his mind back to the game, "That was outta bounds."

* * *

 _Like I said, I'm not officially jumping into an Archangel x Starfire ship, but I want to introduce it as a possibility._


	5. Episode 5: Eye of the Beholder

**Episode 5: Eye of the Beholder**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Welcome back, readers, to the continuing adventures of our favorite heroes. Yes, as I said in the hint, this episode is named after a famous Twilight Zone episode, but this chapter and that episode do not share the same premise. As always, thank you to my cheerleading squad, which is getting bigger as we progress. So, thank you Vballqueen17, bearhow, and MeltingCandle. And to anyone in the US, happy Thanksgiving! Once again, I own none of these characters or anything associated with them._

 **Palace of Tamaran, 10 Years Ago:**

"He's so small," Starfire said as she held the small bundle carefully.

In her arms, she held her new brother. They had named him Wildfire, Ryand'r in her language. He was like her, and most other Tamaraneans for that matter, in that he had red hair, from the small few hairs he had on his head, and shimmering, green eyes. Like her, his role in the royal family rested in who he would marry and create an alliance with. He father was only too glad that Chief Raguel had no daughters. She had been amazed by the prospect of being a big sister since her mother told her that a new royal was to be born. Blackfire had paid little mind to the new arrival. Then again, Starfire thought, she had been preoccupied with her studies as they had intensified as she got older, and had thus become more distant in general. She knew Blackfire was already frustrated with all the responsibilities that came with being a future Grand Ruler. Of course, Starfire would have to engage in some of these lessons when she was older, as Blackfire was the heir and she was the spare, as Galfore sometimes joked. However, she was thankful that, on the whole, she only had to focus on a more traditional education. "You were that small once, my little bumgorf," Galfore chuckled.

"Zadkiel, you are incredibly silent," Starfire said, looking towards her betrothed, who sat quietly, a good distance away.

It had been a couple of months since their betrothal, but her father had been eager to plan for an attack from the Gordanians, and encouraged frequent visits from Chief Raguel. Emperor Myand'r had suggested that the chief bring his sons so that she and Blackfire could become more familiar with their future husbands. Chief Raguel had grudgingly agreed, grumbling about how it prevented his sons from their training. "Have you let him try to grab your finger?" Starfire continued. "He is quite strong."

"I do not think I should," Zadkiel said, cautiously.

He had been carefully instructed that even though he was betrothed to her, he was not supposed to touch any member of the royal family. That however, had not stopped Starfire. Tamaraneans showed most of their affection through touch, and Starfire, being Starfire, was never shy about it. Not a single greeting went by without an embrace from her. She always took his arm when they walked through the palace. She always went too fast, never giving him enough time to count steps, or any of his other tricks for orienting himself. Not a conversation went by without her fingers gently brushing against his skin. "Please," she almost pleaded, "Galfore knows you will do no harm."

Starfire was still careful to speak to Zadkiel only in his own language, at least while others were around. She had told no one that she gave him the ability to understand Tamaranean. Galfore, of course, was familiar with the Visirian language, having traveled over much of the galaxy in his youth. "Like this," he said, guiding Zadiel's hand.

Wildfire grabbed his finger in a bone-crushing squeeze. Zadkiel winced, but knew better than to show any sign of weakness. Galfore smiled to himself. He liked to imagine that this would be Starfire and Zadkiel someday when they had children of their own. He knew however that this was wishful thinking. Children of interspecies marriages were uncommon, and even discouraged as the child would never be accepted by either culture. Of course, if things did not go as planned for Emperor Myand'r, there would be no choice but to expect it of Blackfire at the least. He also knew his Starfire. She would want children, and woe to the husband who would try to deny her. Wildfire had fallen asleep, Zadkiel still caught in his iron grip. "Alright," Galfore said, gently prying the boy's hand off Zadkiel, "you two run along now."

XxX

Knowing Zadkiel's position as future guardian of the Great Garden, Starfire had taken it upon herself to show Zadkiel as much as she could about all the plant and animal life on Tamaran. This was limited to what could be found around the palace, but Zadkiel was grateful all the same. At present, she was showing him the plant life that grew around the pond in the palace gardens. Rulore sat on a bench, not too far away, watching them. While Galfore had much to attend to with Wildfire, he made sure Blackfire and Starfire were never without someone to watch them. "Those are garbalnooks," she explained. "They are incredibly sturdy. Larger specimens are used to make plumbing pipes."

He ran his hand along the reed plant. "And swalat flowers always grow around them," she continued.

Zadkiel got low to the ground to smell of the flower. So focused on the task at hand, he did not hear anyone approach behind him. He was therefore surprised when he felt a pair of hands shove him forward. He tumbled into the pond and flailed about until he realized it was only knee-deep, and was able to sit up. He could hear Saraqael's mean-spirited laugh. Blackfire was with him, a rather pleased smirk on her face. Saraqael was a melanic Visiri, more common than Zadkiel's lighter color. He was also older, and therefore bigger than his brother, and he enjoyed taking advantage of it. "You are as helpless as a little musek worm," he laughed.

Starfire was helping Zadkiel stand, glaring a Saraqael. "Why are you here to disturb us?" she asked.

"Just having a little fun, sister," Blackfire said with a rather pleased smirk, "before I show Saraqael the palace armory."

Starfire's eyes widened. "I have always heard about the fantastic weaponry Tamaran is known for," Saraqael said smugly, casually throwing his arm around Blackfire.

"B-but that is forbidden!" Starfire gasped, "Especially for- You could get-"

"Most fun things in life are," Saraqael interrupted.

"And Galfore will not find out about it, right little sister?" Blackfire said, with a hint of a threat in her voice, looking over her shoulder to ensure that Rulore could not hear.

Starfire hung her head. "No, he will not," she sighed.

"You were right," Saraqael muttered to Blackfire as they left, "you are the smarter one,"

"The better fighter too," Blackfire added, "and knowing how strange she is, she will probably be the unfortunate one when it comes to transformation. So I guess you could say I'm the prettier one too."

These words were not missed by Starfire, or Zadkiel for that matter. He had shaken off the water off his body and sat beside her. "What does she mean by this 'transformation?'" he asked, laying out to dry in the sun.

"It does not matter," Starfire said, staring at her reflection in the pond, tears welling up in her eyes. "She is right. She is smarter, stronger, and prettier."

"And you believe all of this because she tells you?" Zadkiel said, trying to get to the heart of the matter. "I see things differently."

"You cannot see," Starfire grumbled before she realized what she had said.

"When will you realize, princess, that I can see?" Zadkiel objected. "It is just different from how you do so. And do you want to know what I see?"

She said nothing. "I see the most beautiful girl with the most beautiful heart," he finished, not waiting for an answer.

"I am not normal," she responded, still distraught, "I do not belong on Tamaran. I will not belong on Naraka. I do not belong anywhere."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Zadkiel asked. "Being not normal? Do you think it bothers me?"

"You pretend not to let it."

Zadkiel nodded, still insisting, "What others say about me is hurtful, yes, but I do not dislike myself because of it. This is why my people say you have no el. You claim that you honor and are in touch with your emotions, yet you remain cold and unfeeling to others. You do not emotionally attach yourselves to anyone, even your families."

"It makes us weak," Starfire said, bringing her knees close to her chest. "If we show others who we care about most, and how we feel, then they know how to hurt us. We wish this were not so, but that is how life has treated us."

Zadkiel knit his brows together as he thought. "I believe I understand now," he said, nodding, "these behaviors stem from fear, and you hid yourself from it. Princess, you are the only one I have met who accepts that fear and faces it, by being different. Perhaps when others do the same, they will learn that you have more friends than you think you have enemies. Do not let them change who you are. I like this you better, when you are not normal."

"Why do you always speak that way?" Starfire asked, wiping away a tear. "It is as if I am speaking to one of my tutors."

He laughed. "I suppose I get it from my uncle. He is the current keeper of the Great Garden. I spend much of my time with him there. Out there all day, one has ample time to think."

Only now did Starfire notice Zadkiel's hand on top of hers in a comforting gesture. He had ignited his el enough to make his hand warm and soothing. This was the first time that he had shown any physical form of affection, at least where he was the one initiating it. "Promise me," he said, "that you will not let them make you normal."

* * *

 **Titans' Tower, Present Day:**

"My ears looked very similar to yours," Starfire said, retelling the story of her transformation to Archangel. "I almost thought of trying to live on Naraka."

It was the late hours of the morning in Titan's Tower, and it had been rather quiet at that. Starfire and Archangel were conversing on the couch in the common room. Starfire only now noticed something lying on the couch. "Oh, Raven has left one of her books out here," Starfire commented. "She is usually more careful about where she keeps them."

"Oh no," Archangel corrected, "it is mine. It is the most amazing thing. Raven has been showing me how to read."

"But…"

"It is a particular kind of reading," he said, already knowing her next question, "one you perform with your hands. It is a fantastic, new experience. Visirian, of course, is only a spoken language."

That thought had never occurred to her. Having known Tamaranean as a written language all her life, she could never begin to understand what it felt like to see, or in his case, feel words on a page. She flipped through the book, rather confused by the odd bumps all over the pages. "You have become good friends with Raven, I have noticed," she said, hinting at something more.

He nodded, not catching her meaning. "I believe she finds my company preferable because I am not loud like Beast Boy or Cyborg, and not too busy, as Robin can be."

His oblivion was rather adorable, she thought. Raven had been the one who had taken it upon themselves to show Archangel most of earth, and Starfire knew from experience that all it took was one person to understand. Starfire smiled to herself and added, "It is good that Raven finds friendship in you. She has difficulty with the new friends."

Raven was walking down the hallways, carrying a stack of books. She had taken great delight when Archangel had showed interest in reading. Teaching him braille had been hard enough. It was even more difficult when she learned that his people had no concept of written language. When Archangel first became a Titan, she was none too keen on it. She knew the pain of betrayal after Terra, and did not want to have to go through that again. She had resolved to tough it out for Starfire's sake, but Archangel had really grown on her lately. As always, though, she had to keep her feelings in check. She did not want to get her hopes up.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she almost ran into Cyborg. "Sorry," she said as he narrowly dodged an avalanche of books.

"It's cool," he said, helping her up. "What is all this anyway? Is this braille?"

"Yeah, Archangel wanted to learn how to read after I told him about some of the books I was reading," she replied. "He's really taken a liking to it."

Cyborg smiled coyly and winked, "You sure it isn't _you_ he's taken a liking to?"

"It's not like that," Raven said, brushing him off. "He's just good company. Besides, I think he-"

"Uh huh, sure," Cyborg said sarcastically, rolling his human eye. "You two seem to spend an awful lot of time together, and he always has something nice to say about you."

Raven started walking away. "He does about everyone," she corrected.

Cyborg chased after her. "Come on, admit it, you like him," he said. "I won't leave you alone until you do."

"Then how do you know if I would be telling the truth or trying to get rid of you?" she quipped back.

She had him there, and he seemed to deflate a little. "Yeah, well, I still think he likes you."

"Will you mind your own business?"

Cyborg threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, do what you want, but I would ask him if I were you."

Raven rolled her eyes at him and continued on. Cyborg, on the other hand, had other plans. "Sounds to me like someone needs a gentle push in the right direction," he said to himself, already scheming.

XxX

Beast boy was bouncing a rubber ball against the wall as he lay in the top bunk of his bed. He had done a lot of thinking since that night Raven had told him he needed to move on from Terra. A part of him still cared for her, and always would. He also knew that Raven was right. Terra made him feel things he had never felt before, but there would always be issues of trust with him, with her, between the both of them. Many days he had wondered, if she ever came back, could he trust her? So much had gone wrong so fast, it would take a while, he knew. And, despite what everyone thought, he was a hard person to gain trust with. He could forgive easily, sure, but this was different. After everything with his parents and the Doom Patrol, he had learned in those years that trust was not something to be handed out, no matter how sorry someone was.

And if she had cared about him, she would have returned already. That thought stung the most. If it were him trapped like that, the first thing he would have done after being freed would be to find her, and she had not done that. If love really did conquer all, he thought, why would she have let her fears and insecurities make that choice for her now? So much of him did want her to come back, but then what would be said if it did happen? Would there be too much anger and hurt when they spoke that she would not have stayed anyway? It would never work out long-term, he had finally reasoned. It was not an easy choice, but he was committed to convincing himself of it.

A part of him now began to wonder if Raven was someone he could move on with. It was not as if it was the first time he had entertained the notion. There had been a few times in their initial meeting when he had found her attractive. He had not exactly made a good impression in that time, and his attempts to impress her with humor had fallen flat. When her lack of interest made itself apparent, he had given up, and that was about the time Terra had arrived.

Yet, did he need someone right now? He had the love and support of good friends and a family, even if they were always miles away. That was more than some people could say in their lifetime. Plus, he was young and had all the time in the world, he thought, why rush anything? Then again, being a superhero, he really did not have all the time in the world. And he could not deny that as a human, a social creature, and having the ability to turn into so many social creatures, he was a clingy personality that needed, no craved affection from others. Life moved pretty fast, and he wanted someone to stand by him through it all. If he could think of anyone he trusted, who was honest, and true to themselves, it was her. Sure, they clashed a lot over silly things, but opposites attract right?

But how to tell her? Raven was not casual like Terra. Raven was more…sophisticated, and his usual technique would not work. How could he talk to her without sounding like a total goober?

The Titan's alarm began blaring at that instant, directing them to the west end of town. A high-end jewelry store had its front window shattered, displays ransacked, and not a single jewel left in the store. "That's the third one this week," Robin muttered as they picked through the crime scene, looking for clues.

"They break in pretty recklessly," Raven added, "but are efficient once they're in. I'm leaning towards two thieves."

All of the Titans heard a scuttling sound behind them. "Split up!" Robin commanded, "We've got to cut them off."

The Titans divided, following the sound. Robin sprinted straight ahead. He could still hear the perp's scrambling as he turned down backstreets and alleys. A few times, he thought he was getting close, but still, he saw no signs of them. Robin knew Jump City well, but he was so focused on his task, he did not see where the sound was leading him. The path stopped at a dead end. The other Titans had caught up to him. "Not even a manhole," Cyborg complained, "This guy is good."

"We're going to have to go back home for now," Raven said, "We'll get them next time. We can go over the clues using the main computer, and maybe find something. Eventually, they will make a mistake."

XxX

Beast Boy was pacing in his room. He could not shake his thoughts from this morning. How could he approach the subject to her without her turning him into a bug and squishing him? He could not talk about books. The only thing he had ever really bothered to read was the instructions to his Gamestation. No wait, he dreamt that. Poetry? Nah, he hated that even more than books. "Sophisticated…" he said to himself, "There has to be something?"

No, someone, he corrected himself. There was one person who could help him, but he could not let him know why. There would be no end to the ridicule. He made his way down the hall. He found him in his room. "Uh, Robin?" he said tentatively.

Robin looked up from his papers. "Listen, Batman trained you to be a fighter and a gentleman," Beast Boy began, "I was wondering if you could, you know, teach me how to be more sophisticated?"

Robin knitted his brows together. "Why?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Does it matter?" Beast Boy snapped, "I just wanted to try something different."

Robin sat up, already having a hunch. "I have one thing I can show you," he said, with a mischievous grin, "but you won't like it."

XxX

Raven sighed as yet another car drove by. She was used to people like Cyborg and Beast Boy being late, but this was starting to grate on her nerves. Still, she was glad that she had traded Cyborg's chores today. He had begged her to be the one to run errands in town today, in exchanged for doing her dish duty. She had eagerly accepted, though she was befuddled by his dislike of running to town. To each their own, she had reasoned. He had promised to have everyone here to meet her for dinner. That promise was quickly going out the window as she stood in the cool evening air.

She finally heard a familiar sound and turned to find Archangel nearby. "Wait, where's everyone else?" she asked. "Cyborg said he was bringing you guys down here."

Archangel seemed just as confused. "That cannot be," he corrected. "I just spoke with Cyborg. He informed me that I was to pick up the evening meal, and come back."

Raven's eyes narrowed, as she started to catch on. Oh, Cyborg was going to pay, she thought. Still, she had to be sure this was his doing. "And did Cyborg give you any money to pay for takeout?"

His eyebrows raised in sudden realization. "That's right! You humans use currency to exchange for goods."

Raven sighed. Yes, she had fallen for it, and she hated herself for it. "So, he didn't give you money?"

Archangel shook his head, still quite innocent to the plan. Raven however was already fuming. "I'm going to kill him," she said, whipping out her communicator. "Cyborg! Cyborg, pick up the phone right now! I'm gonna-"

Cyborg's face popped up on the screen, a stupid, smug smile on his face. "Why good evening, Raven," he said casually, without a care in the world. "You sound distressed. Is something the matter?"

Raven ground her teeth. "Something's going to be the matter alright," she said, "You set us up!"

Cyborg shrugged, still playing dumb. "Why, I don't know what on earth you mean."

She was losing her patience. "You sent me and Archangel on a wild goose chase to 'just happen' to run into each other. You told me to meet you guys here for pizza."

"Oh, silly Raven," Cyborg mocked, "you know pizza night is Wednesday. Let's just say you two needed a gentle shove in the right direction."

"Oh, I'm going to give you a gentle shove down the stairs. I hope you like sleeping with one eye open."

He only shook his head, and pointed to his robotic eye. "Way ahead of you. Now, why don't you crazy kids just enjoy the lovely evening with your date."

He hung up before Raven could offer another threat. Archangel approached her from behind, having only just heard some of the conversation. "What did he mean by saying 'set up?' Is this some kind of practical joke like Beast Boy is known to do?"

Raven still clung to what little composure she could muster. "Sort of," she said. "He's set us up on a date."

Now it seemed to register with him. "Oh, you mean like the dates Robin and Starfire have?" She only nodded, just glad he could not see the deep red her cheeks had turned. "Oh," he said, a little disheartened.

That seemed to be the last straw. She gave him a rough shove on the chest. "Well, don't act so happy about it," she yelled sarcastically, storming off.

"Wait, what did I say?" he asked. "I thought we were in agreement that this was not an optimal situation. Raven! Raven, come back. I am really confused now."

XxX

Everyone had kept mostly to themselves in the early hours of the evening at the tower. All was rather quiet until the shouting began. "Ow, hey! Watch it!" Beast Boy yelled.

"You're movement isn't fluid enough," Robin instructed. "Quit being a baby."

"Maybe if you weren't trying to break me in half," Beast Boy began.

Starfire and Cyborg rushed into the training room to see what all the commotion was about, and were greeted with an unusual sight. Robin had cleared the room, trying to give them as much open space as possible. A swaying Latin music could be heard from a small stereo in the corner. The most unusual aspect of this sight was Beast Boy and Robin, holding each other, Beast Boy with his hands on Robin's waist. "Uh…are we interrupting?" Cyborg asked, completely dumbfounded.

Beast Boy whipped his hands off Robin. Robin however was un-fazed. "Beast Boy wanted to be a little more cultured," Robin explained. "I was showing him how to ballroom dance."

Cyborg proceeded into a fit of laughter. Starfire however was still confused. "Please, this dance of the ball is different from what you taught me at the prom?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's more complicated than just slow dancing," Robin replied. "Batman wanted me to have a well-rounded education and made sure I knew how to carry myself in a social situation." A thought occurred to him. "Do Tamaraneans dance?" he asked.

"Yes," Starfire explained, "but dancing on Tamaran is considered as military training. One is not performing it right if one or both partners are not injured by the end."

Robin gulped, glad he had never asked her to teach him that. "Well, this is different, you see-"

"I believe I understand," Starfire said. "Earthly dance is meant to mimic human mating rituals."

Cyborg finally came around after his fit of laughter. "So, who's the girl?" he asked.

"What?" Beast Boy lied, his cheeks flushing a crimson shade.

"Oh come on," Cyborg teased, "no guy learns how to dance unless it's to impress some girl."

Robin raised his eyebrows. "I didn't," he retorted. "It's good exercise, and indicates a more worldly experience. Perhaps you might want to learn?"

"Don't need to," Cyborg bragged. "I downloaded dances off the internet into my mainframe. I could dance circles around you."

"Who was the female you were trying to impress?" Starfire asked, innocently.

Cyborg's expression soured as he realized what he had said, and it was Beast Boy's turn to laugh. Robin remained serious. "Well, I'm getting nowhere with Beast Boy right now," he grumbled. "Starfire, how about you help me give a demonstration?"

Beast Boy, eager for a break, ran over towards Cyborg. Robin positioned Starfire in front of him, his hands rather low on her hips. "The touching of my grebnaks is necessary for this dance?" she asked, referring to the placement of his hands.

This did get Robin flustered as he hastily explained, "Well, not exactly, but it's to help you learn. See, the key here is in the hips."

He could hear Beast Boy and Cyborg snickering behind him. "I hope you're paying attention," he called to Beast Boy. "You're the one who wanted to learn."

Beast Boy was still holding back laughter as he replied, "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm taking plenty of mental notes."

"And I am so recording this," Cyborg said as his cybernetic eye began to click as it transitioned into camera mode.

Robin only shot a look at the two, knowing this would surely end up as blackmail material. At first it was simple. He showed Starfire a simple box-step and a whisk. She took to it easy enough. However, as things progressed, it started to become a blur even to him. He was almost hypnotized by the fluid motion of her body. He was not sure at what point the music was turned back on, or who did it, but the next thing Robin knew, he was going through a fairly difficult Rumba routine. He was glad that, on some level, he knew the steps by heart because the rest of his brain was focused on Starfire every time her body brushed against his. It was like they were sharing one body, the way they moved together. Robin had taken Starfire into a dramatic dip as the song ended, both out of breath. In that moment, they both returned to reality. Did her cheeks always flush that way when they were together, Robin wondered? Beast Boy and Cyborg starred with stunned expressions. "Not sure if I should say that was amazing, or get a room," Cyborg said.

"Great," Robin said, quickly, trying not to seem too out of it, "Beast Boy, over here. It's your turn."

"You're not going to manhandle my grebnaks like that are you?" Beast Boy snickered as he approached. Robin was not amused.

"Look, let's just practice," Robin sighed.

The two continue to practice for only a few more minutes before the tower almost shook with an ear-splitting yelp from Beast Boy as he unintentionally did the splits. "Well, this is a good stopping point," Robin said, as he helped him up.

In that instant, the Titan alarm sounded. "Aw man," Beast Boy groaned as he hobbled along after the team.

Yet another jewelry store was being robbed. This time however, the Titans arrived before the culprit was finished. "We've caught you red-handed," Robin said. "Now, are you going to come quietly?"

A pasty blob nearly missed his head, and splattered across the street. Eight, spindly, long legs crept out of the shadows. "Beat it kids!" a voice snarled. "It's past your bedtime."

"Fang," Robin breathed, realizing what that must mean, "where's Kitten?"

"Hey man, that's my girl," Fang snapped, "and besides, she had other matters to attend to."

He started to scuttle up the side of the building. A birdarang made contact wall, just above his spider head. "You're not going anywhere," Robin asserted.

"Just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" Fang laughed as he leapt off the building to strike.

XxX

Archangel and Raven were sitting across from each other at Raven's favorite café. She had decided that at this point, they were better off just getting something to eat before heading back. Raven decided she did not want to be hungry and furious all at the same time. The two had been rather quiet. Archangel still detected that there was some tension between them. "I fear I have said something wrong," he said at last.

Raven had not really meant to take out her frustrations on Archangel as well, but it had happened. At the same time, he had not actually helped the situation either. "It's just…I told you Cyborg had set us up on a date, and you practically said nothing." He nodded, not adding anything to that. "You aren't going to say anything else?" Raven asked, a little frustrated with his silence.

"I wish not to," he replied, looking rather guilty.

She gave an exasperated sigh. "It's because if it really was- I mean, if I had asked you, you would've said no. Look, I don't know, it just sort of hurt my feelings is all."

"Do not be upset," he said, almost in a whisper, "It is not that I do not enjoy your companionship, but-"

A little distraught herself, Raven's powers allowed her to sense his feelings without trying. "But you are still hung up on Starfire," she finished. "I get it, okay. I guess I'm just tired of that sort of thing all the time. It's always girls like her. And, I'm used to it, I suppose, but it still bothers me a little."

His expression turned to one of confusion and pity. They had long stopped listening to the bass player on stage, their silence the loudest sound of all. "You don't get it," she explained. "I'm not outgoing. I'm not spontaneous, or openly romantic. Guys don't exactly notice me, not like they do with girls like Starfire. I'm not…"

Archangel reached out for her hand and held it gently. He smiled as he gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Those are things, which do not matter," he said. "There are people who see you for more than all that. I know you will find them."

"But you're not one of them," Raven said, finishing his thought.

"It's not that I do not see you for more," he replied, "but my heart has always belonged to her."

"Why? If I may ask."

"Starfire brings out the best parts of myself. With her, I was not the blind failure my family saw. I was not the warrior they expected me to be. I was not some savage creature. I was myself."

"I can see that," Raven said in understanding, "though, the way she tells it, it sounds like that feeling was reciprocal."

Archangel became downcast. "Of that, I am not certain," he said. "I am of the belief that she did not feel the same."

"You heard what she said to Robin the other night," Raven said. "I sensed it when I spoke to you. I could also sense what she was feeling. You want to know the truth?"

He nodded. "She's confused. She's not sure what she felt then," Raven said. "She wants to believe otherwise because she's with Robin, but even she hasn't sorted through those old feelings."

He smiled his usual half-smile, feeling a new sense of hope. "Look, Robin's my friend too," Raven said, getting serious. "I'm not going to take sides on this matter…but, things have a way of working out. Not always how we wanted, but they do. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he said, "but, according to Cyborg, this is our date. Perhaps, we should leave such conversation alone. As I understand, it is customary to discuss each other's interests on such occasions."

"Fine," Raven said, rolling her eyes with only the slightest hint of a laugh, "I'll play along. You've been on Earth now for some time. Where is your favorite place to go?"

"This question is simple," Archangel replied. "The beach. Naraka has no large bodies of water, so the experience is still quite new. It is a place quite pleasing to all my senses. The smell of the air, its salty taste, the sounds of waves crashing, the feel of the sand; it is all so wonderful."

She could not help but enjoy his sense of wonder about the world. "As you know, music is important to my culture," he continued. "I have grown fond of the earthly music styles called Swing and Opera thanks to your phonograph, but what about you? What is it that is most pleasing to your ears?"

"You tell anyone and you'll regret it," Raven threatened, playfully, "but I like musicals. I know they're corny and all, but…I don't know, those songs just give me hope."

He nodded. "I have heard you sing when you think you are alone," he said, "I have wondered what it was. You have a wonderful voice."

She blushed, glad he could not see it. She would have to remember his sense of hearing next time. "There is one song, you seem to enjoy singing in particular," he added, "What is it called?"

"Oh, it's 'Somewhere that's Green,'" she said, "It's from my favorite musical."

"I do not understand all of it," he admitted, "but it brings me to tears every time I hear you sing it."

"Thanks," she said, shyly, "I'm serious though about you telling anyone."

The evening was considerably enjoyable for the two. They continued to talk and discuss interests, blissfully unaware the goings on about the café. However, an annoying, high-pitched, and whining voice brought everyone out of their thoughts. "No Fang!" Kitten snapped. "I told you I wanted the one with the ruby. The sapphire does not match with my outfit. Oh fine, get them both. Ugh, men."

She snapped her cell phone shut angrily, now noticing Raven and Archangel for the first time. "Kitten," Raven growled.

"Teen Titan, whose name I don't care about," Kitten said back, "and…ugly creature."

"You will call me Archangel," Archangel said, shortly before turning to Raven. "This Kitten is a villain, correct?"

"Very much so," Raven mumbled back, now noticing some of the gaudy jewelry Kitten was wearing. "You and Fang are the robbers we've been looking for. You and your monstrous boyfriend-"

"Fiancé now," Kitten corrected, showing off the large diamond on her finger. "Fangy picked it out special."

"More like he broke in and you stole it," Raven said. "Where is he anyway?"

"Fang's just running a few errands," Kitten said, feigning innocence.

Their Titan communicators began to flash and beep. "Hitting up another jewelry store perhaps?" Raven said. "I think you'll be coming with us."

"You ruined my prom, you ruined my revenge, but I am not going to let you ruin this!" Kitten shouted, stomping her foot. "Not while I have some of daddy's new toys anyway."

XxX

Robin was slammed against a wall as Fang kicked him back. "C'mon bird boy," he taunted. "My eight legs are happy to kick your butt all night."

An onslaught of starbolts began to strike the ground near his feet. His spider legs nimbly missed them, thought there were a few close calls. "It is we who will be doing the kicking of the butt," Starfire said, preparing for another assault.

Fang responded by spitting his sticky, web mucus, encasing her body, and sending her plummeting to the ground. He did not have time to savor the victory though, as Cyborg, riding Beast Boy horseback, came charging at him. Thinking quickly, Fang shot a string of web around Beast Boy's hooves, and with a whinny, he tripped over himself. Cyborg however, recovered and proceeded to punch Fang square in the mandible, knocking him back. Taking advantage of his disoriented state, Cyborg picked him up by his eight legs and swung him over his head. After several spins, he released Fang, flying in the air. Fang managed to launch enough web to stick between two buildings, bounced off the barrier it created, and landed solidly on the ground in front of Cyborg. "Well, didn't see that coming," Cyborg said to himself, still surprised by Fang's quick rebound.

He responded by giving Cyborg a solid beating, sending the hero skidding across the street. The Titans were not through yet. Starfire came flying behind him, carrying Robin. With enough momentum going, she dropped him over Fang. With a nimble spin, Robin landed square on Fang, feet first. This was a powerful blow, but it did not stop him. He decided to quit while he was ahead and run. Starfire blocked his path. Fang threw himself into an all-out brawl with the Tamaranean. His spindly legs and body could not get the advantage over her alien strength, but he had agility and numbers on his side. Fang could tell though that she could only keep her focus on a few legs at a time. While she was holding back two legs, he used one of his others to sweep under her legs, tripping her up. Caught up in six of his legs, he leaned in closer. "Nothing a little paralysis can't solve," he said.

Robin's grappling hook surrounded Fang's legs. With a yank, he pulled him over, allowing for Starfire's escape. Fang though broke through, still not relenting. "Raven, Archangel, where are you guys?" Robin yelled into his communicator as Beast Boy plowed into Fang in the form of a rhino.

XxX

Kitten bolted for the door, Archangel and Raven close on her heels. "You'll never take me!" she shrieked.

She pulled a remote from her purse, clicking a button. A set of metallic, insect-like wings sprouted from the back of her dress. Archangel heard the whirring sound as they started to beat wildly. "Only the best for daddy's little Kitten," she said, as the wings allowed her to hover away.

Archangel and Raven flew close behind. Sensing how close they were, Kitten pushed another button as hundreds of robotic, flying creatures swarmed them. "These are much better than daddy's pets," she said with a laugh. "They follow orders much better."

Archangel struggled as the mechanical insects tried to attach to him. For every one he pried off, at least three more would overtake him. Finally, in frustration, he ignited his fists, scorching the machines as he pulled them off. With a blow from his horn, the rest scattered, and he launched himself at Kitten.

Raven heard her communicator sound, and with her one free hand, she pulled it out. "Raven, Archangel, where are you guys?" she heard Robin's voice shout.

Kitten slammed into Archangel, the two skidding on the ground, only inches from where Raven was. "Raven, where are you?" Archangel said, groaning as his back had taken most of the impact. "I need your help."

Raven turned back to her communicator for a moment. "Kind of got problems of our own. You know the jewel thieves? It's Kitten and-"

"Fang, we know," Robin said as Beast Boy, now screeching seagull was pecking at Fang in the background.

For a moment, each was watching the fights playing out in the background of each other's communicators, a little stunned. "So…we'll catch up with you later," Raven said.

"Same, if we get Fang," Robin agreed.

The metal insects were starting to overwhelm her. With her usual focus and concentration, she surrounded herself in a barrier of black aura. Almost instantaneously, the metal bugs clinging to her melted into a metallic puddle at her feet. She strode over and yanked Kitten off of Archangel. "It's over Kitten," Raven said firmly as Archangel sat up.

"Nothing is over!" she shrieked, flitting away on her wings.

As she flew, an even larger army of metal bugs approached. Archangel ignited his sword. "Ignore them," Raven said, "Go after Kitten. We stop her, we stop the bugs."

The two took off in separate directions after her. Archangel sliced through robot bugs left and right as he tried to follow Kitten. Raven had to focus her concentration as she used her powers to deconstruct the bugs mid-flight. All the while though, she never lost sight of Kitten. Kitten darted around buildings through the city. After a series of confusing turns, she was sure she had lost them. Looking behind her, she saw neither of the two Titans. As she faced forward, she almost collided with Raven. "End of the line," Raven said sternly.

In a sudden, swift motion, Archangel came up from behind her and severed the metallic wings from her dress, and she promptly fell into his arms. "It's not fair!" Kitten whined, weakly pounding her fists against Archangel's chest. "You ruined everything."

"You said she was a villain?" Archangel said, puzzled, referring to the light punches she was giving him.

"Not much of one without father's help," Raven said, adding insult to injury.

XxX

"There has to be some way to stop him," Beast Boy whined, "All this strain isn't good for my injury."

"Oh please," Robin said, trying to focus on one frustration at a time, "You accidently did the splits. You're fine. Wait, that gives me an idea."

"Guess you kids are done playing games," Fang said as he noticed none of the Titans around.

He was about to make his leave when a starbolt barely missed him. "You just won't give up will ya?" Fang cursed.

Starfire darted after him. Fang ran as fast as his eight legs could carry him, avoiding Starfire. As he neared an intersection, Beast Boy came out from around a building in the form of an eagle, redirecting Fang's path. This process continued for a few more blocks as Beast Boy and Starfire alternated chasing him, forcing him to turn where they wanted him to.

Eventually, they led him to an intersection where Robin and Cyborg were waiting with their trap. As Fang neared, the two pulled on their ends of the grappling hook rope. Four legs were caught in Robin's lasso, the other four in Cyborg's. Fang's spider body was caught doing the splits across the street. Try as he might, he could not struggle without causing one group of legs pain. "You stupid kids," Fang cursed, "I could've- You-"

"I think we're done here," Robin said.

XxX

Raven and Archangel were slowly making their way to the doors of Titan's tower. "Well, this isn't how I saw my first date going," Raven said at last.

"To be fair, it was not so much a date as a joke on Cyborg's part," Archangel said, "but it was fun."

"Yeah, all in all, it could've been worse." He pretended to be offended by that comment, but soon softened. "Still, it would've been cool for the half-demon to be dating a hero called Archangel," she laughed, and then sighed, "You really are sweet. Some girl is going to be lucky to have you. Just, don't do anything too stupid, okay?"

He shifted nervously on his hooves. "I just wish you would believe the same thing about yourself," he responded. "There are many men out there who would wish to know the real you. And, I will…try not to be foolish."

Raven blushed. In a friendly manner, she stood on tip-toe and kissed him on the cheek. Archangel was surprised, but glad he had a caring friend like Raven. However, someone else was watching the two from above, and he was interpreting it much differently. Beast Boy could not help but feel a pang of jealousy as he watched them from one of the tower's massive windows, though he could not hear their conversation. He had not foreseen this possibility in the slightest. What exactly did she see in that half-goat thing? In a huff, he flopped back on the couch, surfing channels with a bag of ice over his lap.

He heard the doors of the elevator swish open as Raven and Archangel entered. Archangel adjourned to his room. Raven however, looked at Beast Boy with confusion. "Take a bad injury from fighting Fang?" she asked.

"You know it," Beast Boy lied, with a touch of cockiness, "but the big guy didn't stand a chance against my awesomeness."

Cyborg, who had been rummaging through the fridge nearby, snorted, "Please, you pulled a muscle while Robin was teaching you how to dance."

Raven only gave a death-inducing glare at Cyborg. She was not going to forgive this prank so easily. She then raised an eyebrow, realizing what he had said. "You were learning how to dance?" she said, now incredibly puzzled.

"Pretty funny actually," Cyborg continued. "I have some of it on video."

"I thought you were only recording Robin and Starfire," Beast Boy squeaked. "When did you get me in it?"

"Right after," he replied. "I don't know, a lot of people online might find this funny."

"You'd better not," Beast Boy shouted as he tried to leap over the couch at him. He only succeeded in agitating his injury.

XxX

Archangel sat on the roof in the late hours of the night, contemplating his conversation with Raven, knowing that somewhere in all of this, she was partially right. He did not get to stay long in his thoughts before he heard the beating of wings behind him. "Interesting," an all too familiar voice said, "if I did not know any better, I would think you are having second thoughts. Do you think this is some kind of game?"

Archangel's brow furrowed as he cursed under his breath. "I will execute your plan," he said with a sigh. "You have given me little choice in the matter."

Archangel could just imagine the figure sneering behind him. "That is right," the voice said, grabbing Archangel by the neck and forcing him to his feet, "and you had better not forget it."

"How is it that you are able to watch me without anyone seeing you?" Archangel asked.

"People see what they wish to see," the voice said, dismissing such a silly question. "It is easy to hide when no one is looking for you."

Archangel only shrugged, not really satisfied with that answer. "I've had enough of this waiting," the voice continued, dripping with malice. "I have brought you a gift."

The figure pulled Archangel's hand forward and placed something in it. "What is it?" he asked, clearly suspicious.

"I thought you of all people would be quite familiar with it," the voice said.

Archangel felt it in his hand. It did not take him long to figure out it was a very familiar fruit from his homeworld. "No," was all he said, shoving it back.

"No?" the voice said, becoming increasingly frustrated with him.

"No," he repeated, "not like this. I agreed to do this only on the condition that you allow me to do it my way."

"Sometimes we need to make our own fortune."

"This is not what I agreed to," Archangel stated firmly. "I will not do it."

The figure launched into a rage and grabbed Archangel by the hair, yanking his head back. "You will do it!" the voice roared, "or I will, and you do not want me to do it."

His grip loosened and Archangel shook him off. "Do we have an understanding?" the voice asked, knowing he had the upper hand.

"Yes," Archangel hissed at him.


	6. Episode 6: Return

**Episode 6: Return**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:**

 _Well, thank you as always to my regular reviewers. However, it looks like I nabbed a few new reviews with the last chapter. Terrific, and thank you whoever you are! Anyway, I do want to make one thing clear with this upcoming chapter. As promised, we are going to see a little more of Archangel's culture. In no way am I trying to promote any particular set of religious beliefs. I simply wanted to create a superhero that played to my strength: mythology. Archangel's character and culture is heavily based on Abrahamic (i.e. Christian, Jewish, and Islamic) themes, but he is also an amalgamation of other mythic traditions as well, including but not limited to Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Hindu traditions. Have fun trying to find all the symbolism. As usual, I own nothing to do with the Teen Titans. If I did, we would have gotten another season._

* * *

 **Naraka, 9 Years Ago:**

It was an unusual set of circumstances that had led to Starfire ending up on Naraka. Chief Raguel had insisted a meeting with her father on his own turf to discuss tactics against the Gordanians. As her father had put it though, the real reason was so that the warlord could show off his impressive armies. There had also been discussion about a ceremony on Naraka to recognize her and Blackfire's betrothals to the Chief's sons. Betrothals were not common among the Visiri, but they nevertheless felt such should be blessed by their deity, the solar god, Malakb.

Starfire had actually been excited by this journey. This was her chance, after all, to see the place she would come to call home in the near future. She had been told by Galfore that Naraka was mostly and endless desert with many tribes of various species all at war with each other. In a way, this had placed in her mind a picture of a rather small planet. What she saw was certainly more than she had expected.

They were in the protected lands controlled by the Visiri, and were nearing the main camp. What they had not expected was the mountainous rock plateau that protected the camp like a wall. Starfire stared up at the wall of rock, not sure what to do next. They had noticed that there was a path carved into the wall, but it only reached halfway up the mountain. From that point, they could see the tiny figures of other Visiri climbing up, their nimble bodies and hooves perfect for the terrain. She did not understand why though. She knew the Visiri could fly, so why climb?

She had been so focused on the immensity of the site, that only now did she notice the other Visiri whizzing across the sky. They were magnificent as they soared as high as they could go, and then, reaching their limit, they would plummet to the ground. Just before they hit, they would turn and curve their wings to barrel roll just over the sands, kicking up the sands, leaving a trail as they flew. Galfore nudged her on, as she stood watching the spectacle for some time.

Having endured the exhausting climb, they were now able to see the camp itself. Clusters of tents made out of various animal hides covered the area, making the camp look almost like a city, one that rivaled the size of Tamaran's capital even. There were no shops, or merchants like there were in Tamaran. Everyone traded, or more often, fought with neighbors for resources. There were plenty of training grounds for warriors, and many who were skilled in forging weapons. With their natural abilities in using fire, the Visiri were gifted metal workers. In the center of the great camp was a massive tent that towered above the others. The camp site was rather awe inspiring.

They were entering the great tent that stood as a beacon for the whole tribe. It became apparent as they entered that the tent did not serve as a living quarters, but as a meeting place where Chief Raguel would meet with his most loyal generals. Chief Raguel greeted them as cordially as could be expected, and immediately began conversation with Emperor Myand'r. Zadkiel was by Starfire's side almost instantly. She was almost too glad to see him. "What do you think of Naraka?" he asked.

"It is bigger than I imagined," she replied excitedly.

"You have not even seen the best part," he said, "Come with me."

He was leading her out of the tent, when Galfore pulled them aside. "And where are you two going?" he asked.

Zadkiel liked Galfore well enough, but still could not help feeling intimidated by him. He shifted nervously. "I only wished to show her the Great Garden," he said weakly.

"Your father knows of this?"

"My father gives little thought to my comings and goings. My uncle, the current keeper, is there. He is expecting me there for lessons anyway."

Galfore reasoned it out for a moment and then nodded his approval. "Go, I must stay with Kommand'r. Be back before sunset," he said in a warning tone.

XxX

It was more magnificent than Starfire could have imagined. Even the largest jungles on Tamaran paled in comparison to the lush and immense grove the Visiri called the Great Garden. There was so much color and life, and as Zadkiel had explained, none of it was native to Naraka. If she had not known any better, she would have said that all life originated here and migrated out into the galaxy, it was that vast and varied. The word "garden" was not apt to describe it. Perhaps in comparison to the rest of the planet, this location was small, but it was so large to her, it was difficult to know where the expanse ended.

Zadkiel carried with him what looked like a shepherd's crook as they walked through the garden. He used it to brush away foliage on the ground, so as not to step on it, and to help guide him as he walked through the garden. Though, it appeared as though he did not need it for that reason. He practically knew every inch of the garden. He knew most of the plants, and all the wild creatures that scuttled by.

They had met with Zadkiel's uncle, Jagudiel, a rather thin Visiri of mixed brown and white colors. He was more than glad to show Starfire much of the progress they had made in the garden, from new medicines made from mixing plants of differing planets, to the repopulation of what were once thought to be long lost species. He spoke highly of Zadkiel's ability to become the new keeper and told Starfire that she was welcome to visit at any time.

At the present, Zadkiel and Starfire were climbing a small, overgrown but rocky hill in the garden. He moved rather nimbly up the hill, given that he had hooves. "Why is it that we must climb this mountain, rather than fly?" Starfire asked as she struggled to keep up with him.

"My people try not to rely too much on their abilities," he explained. "Thus, we always prepare ourselves for a time when we may not be able to use them. Besides, I have heard from many that the view at the top is much better when you have climbed to the top, rather than flown."

They had finally come to the uppermost ledge. Zadkiel offered his hand, and pulled her up to the top. The view certainly was spectacular. There they stood, at the edge of a magnificent waterfall. Although small by comparison to some of Tamaran's seas, she assumed that this was the largest body of water on the whole planet. As the water cascaded down, it created a large mist that enveloped the area. Lush jungle surrounded them where they stood, the area stretching out for at least a mile. Just above the waterfall, she could see the bright, Narakan sun. Thick vines fell lazily down the edge of the cliff alongside the waterfall. Starfire was speechless, taking it all in. She looked to Zadkiel, who only gave her a smile, and playfully dashed off into the jungle. "Wait!" she laughed as she chased after him.

The brush of this stretch of jungle was particularly thick, filled with unusual trees, whose branches dipped and curved so low, they almost touched the ground. She was becoming worried that she had gotten lost, and it was rather quiet all of a sudden, too quiet. She stopped to take in her surroundings near the trunk of a large tree. Zadkiel had wrapped his legs around the lowest branch of the tree, and swung himself down so that he was hanging upside down in front of Starfire. She screamed, as it has startled her. "My apologies, Princess," he chuckled as he dropped himself down to the ground, "I could not resist. The bostdit berries are perfect this time of year. You will try one?"

He had already been munching on the handful he carried. She tasted one. It was not the bittersweet taste of zorka berries, which she was fond of, but it certainly was delicious. It was slightly tarter in taste, which Starfire would later describe as being like the sun had melted in her mouth. "Still," she said, "you did frighten me."

She gave him a playful tackle and the two tumbled into a clearing. "You are happy here?" he asked as he sat up.

Starfire lay beside him, gazing at the Narakan sky. "If this is to become my new home, then yes," she said, "I think I could be quite happy here."

She rolled over to look at Zadkiel, who was letting a squirming insect crawl across his arm, being ever so gentle not to disrupt its path. Very happy indeed, she thought to herself.

XxX

The ceremony to bless her and her sister's betrothals had gone without event. More or less, as Zadkiel explained, it was a shorter version of the blessings offered at a Visirian marriage ceremony. Starfire also became more aware of the spiritual practices of the Visiri, having witnessed the evening prayers. It was a martial form of meditation, which even Emperor Myand'r could admire. "What are those things on your ankles for?" Starfire asked as she and Zadkiel were walking among the camp.

She was referring to the leather straps wrapped around each of his ankles, with small metal bells hanging around them. "Many years ago, our people were slaves to the Borri tribe. We are still at war with them. They made us wear shackles like these. The bells let a master know where his slaves were at all times. We now wear them in defiance of their power over us."

He had begun to climb a tree. Starfire had seen these particular trees scattered throughout the Narakan desert. They had no leaves, or plant life of any sort upon them. They looked dead and dried out, but Zadkiel said elban trees are like that as they grew in the harsh climate. He was laying across its topmost branches. "You do not sleep in a tent?" Starfire asked.

He got more comfortable. "I prefer elban trees," he said, "Their branches feel like I am being held by a great hand. And though I cannot see it, it makes me feel closer to the sky and Malakb in all his forms."

Starfire looked at the massive night sky and all the stars that twinkled in the distance. It was certainly not a bad view to sleep under, Starfire thought. She admired Zadkiel's outlook of the world.

* * *

 **Jump City, Present:**

Archangel was truly at peace. He was spending the afternoon tending to his plants in his private greenhouse. The smell of freshly watered earth filled his nostrils as he felt the leaves of a new sprout. A beautiful aria filled the room. Archangel enjoyed listening to human opera while he worked with his plants. Nothing could possibly spoil this moment, he thought. Suddenly, the disturbing noise of a record scratching made him shudder. "Dude, is this opera?" Beast Boy said, holding the record and making a disgusted face.

"Indeed," Archangel replied through gritted teeth, "and that was _Carmen's_ 'Habanera' you just disrupted."

"Whatever," Beast Boy scoffed, already bored, tossing the record aside.

Of late, Beast Boy had developed a rather rude attitude towards Archangel, which Archangel could not understand. Nor did he care for it too much. It was not the same good-natured ribbing that Beast Boy usually gave him. Lately, Beast Boy doled out more mean-spirited jibes at him. Their usual arguments had become progressively more aggressive, and he was fairly certain that on one occasion, Beast Boy had purposefully tripped him in the halls. Needless to say, Archangel's patience of this behavior was wearing thin. "Is there a particular reason you have disturbed me?" he asked.

"Cyborg said he needed you down in the garage for something."

Archangel huffed and started to leave the room. Beast Boy accidentally, but really on purpose, gave him a rough shove. "Oh yeah, just one other thing," Beast Boy said casually as he grabbed Archangel by the chain of his sun necklace and yanking him forward, "I'm watching you."

"Excuse me?" Archangel said rather angrily, trying to conceal his own fear. What if he knew? What if he had seen him with…?

"You heard me," Beast Boy growled. He started to leave himself when Archangel's hand firmly grabbed his shoulder.

"Perhaps you would like to settle this little attitude of yours my way."

XxX

Starfire and Raven were out walking the beach on the island of Titan's Tower. "Is it not a most glorious day, Raven?" Starfire said.

"Terrific," Raven replied, "Can we go now?"

"You do not like being out of the doors?"

"Not really an outdoors type, Star. Hey! What's all this?"

Robin and Cyborg were sitting on the observation platform of the training grounds while Archangel and Beast Boy were preparing to square off against each other. "What's going on?" Raven asked Cyborg.

"Don't know," Cyborg said with a shrug, "Beast Boy and Archie have been kinda at each other's throats all morning. Archie suggested this. Says it's some sort of challenge on his home planet. My money's on Archie."

He shoved a fistful of popcorn in his mouth, ready to watch the sport. "Nah," Robin disagreed, "I think Beast Boy's got this."

"Men," Raven sighed, rolling her eyes.

Starfire meanwhile glowered at Beast Boy and Archangel. If looks could kill, they would have both been dead. "We charge on three," Beast Boy called out.

"Agreed," Archangel nodded, "One."

"Two," Beast Boy said, transforming into a ram.

"Three!" Archangel shouted, and the two ran full speed at each other.

Starfire however, would not allow it. She flew and stood between the two. Beast Boy skidded to a stop just in time to avoid colliding with her. Archangel however, was not so fortunate. His forehead made contact with the palm of her outstretched hand. This affected her very little, but he did manage to push her a few yards until his momentum slowed, her dragging feet leaving two small ruts in the ground. "Must you ruin it?" Archangel said disappointedly as they both came to a stop.

"Yes," Starfire said sternly, "you are finished."

Archangel only glared at her. "Aw, c'mon Star," Beast Boy whined as he turned back into a human.

"Did he tell you that these challenges are to the death," she said, her own glare practically boring holes into Archangel.

"What!?" Beast Boy squealed.

"They are not to the death," Archangel corrected. "Only challenges made to at the chief are. Everything else s only until one surrenders."

"But…" Starfire added.

"But a Visiri would rather die than surrender," Archangel finished. "Beast Boy would have surrendered before it came to that point."

"Yeah, I would've…hey!" Beast Boy said.

"I am not certain what this disagreement is about," Starfire warned, "but it had better stop before I stop it." Her eyes glowing as she punctuated that last sentence.

"Fine," Beast Boy groaned as he walked away, elbowing Archangel as he headed back to the tower.

"Yes," Archangel said as Starfire left.

Raven, Cyborg, and Robin had come up behind him. "So what is the nature of these challenges?" Raven asked.

"They are how Visiri males compete for territory and mates," Archangel explained, still quite downtrodden. "When a Visiri male's horns fully grow, he has the right to claim territory and mates, and can therefore challenge others. In this way, he becomes an adult."

"How patriarchal," Raven said.

"I do not entirely agree with the process," Archangel added.

"So, did you ever have to do these challenges?" Cyborg asked.

"I am the blind son of the tribe's chief and destined to be keeper of the Great Garden," Archangel said, raising an eyebrow, "what do you think?"

"Every day then," Robin concluded.

Archangel nodded. "Yes, which is why I trained and practiced for most of my childhood. Thus far, I have protected my birthright to the garden."

"So then, did you have to…?" Cyborg began.

"No," Archangel said quickly, "I mean, many wanted death, but killing for sport is well…wrong. Much to my family and my challenger's disgrace, I let them live. That only made them want to challenge me more. But I do not kill in that way."

All three of the Titans exchanged looks, sensing the underlying meaning behind his words. "So, these challenges to the chief, they are to the death?" Robin asked.

"Yes, if the challenger wins, he becomes the new chief. Leaving the old one alive would be foolish as it would create a divide in the tribe. If the chief wins, he would not want such a traitor still alive. To these terms, I agree."

"But wait, your brother was supposed to be the next chief," Raven said, trying to reason it all out.

"As the eldest son, he stands the best chance to become the next chief," Archangel corrected. "That does not always happen. My father is a testament to that. He was actually the second born in his family."

"So, wait," Robin said, concerned, "Does that mean your brother…?"

"Yes," Archangel said, "he would be expected to kill his own father to become chief. And he has."

Archangel walked away, leaving the other three speechless.

XxX

Archangel had spent the rest of the afternoon rather sullen, in his room. True, he was still frustrated with Beast Boy, but other issues plagued his mind. It was only the need for lunch that stirred him to leave the room. As he walked down the hall, he heard a voice he was dreading. "Archie," he heard Starfire say, "forgive my intrusion, but-"

"I really do not wish to talk, Starfire," he said, shortly.

"But I am…concerned," she said, trying to be gentle. "What happened this morning…that is not you. Yet, I have seen this side of you more frequently. What-"

He did not stop walking, or even bothered to turn and face her. "We have been separated from each other for eight years," he responded. "Forgive me, Starfire, but you no longer know me."

She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "But I wish to," she pleaded, the hurt clearly in her voice.

Her touch only gave him pause for a moment. However, he gave an exasperated sigh and yanked his arm away, a small ember igniting on his fingertips. He could almost hear her disappointment in her sigh as he walked away, hands still shaking. As he reached the common room, Cyborg was busy pulling something out of the oven. Robin was waiting eagerly at the counter. Raven had hidden at the kitchen table, reading a book. And Beast Boy waited expectantly for his turn to cook one of his tofu dishes.

"Hey Archie, just in time for lunch," Cyborg greeted, "I'm making leftovers of my world-famous lasagna."

"No, I thank you though," Archangel responded, "I already have plans."

As he reached in the refrigerator, he almost immediately knew something was amiss. He felt around for several minutes before coming to a disturbing conclusion. "Where could it be?" he said to himself and then turning to the others. "No one has seen a rather unique fruit from my home planet?"

"I dunno, was it red?" Beast Boy responded.

Everyone only gave him a look. "Right, dumb question," he apologized. "Is it round with little bumps all over it, and tastes like a strawberry and a peach combined?"

Archangel became livid, his fists igniting. "You ate it?" he shouted. "Do you have any idea-"

"Okay, so Beast Boy doesn't follow the rules of a communal fridge," Raven interjected, and in this rare case, coming to Beast Boy's defense, "but it's not the end of the world."

"You don't understand," Archangel said, slowly regaining composure. "That fruit, the prulom, is incredibly poisonous."

"What?" Beast Boy said, desperately gagging.

"Why do you even have that?" Cyborg stammered.

"It is poisonous," Archangel repeated, "but Visiri are thus far the only species known to be immune to it. It is actually used for healing purposes, to help the immunity system. I have kept several of them to help me adjust to exposure to earthly disease."

"Did you know about this?" Robin asked Starfire.

"I did not," she said, "but it is a well-known belief throughout the galaxy that one should never eat of another planet's food unless it is offered." She was glaring at Beast Boy as she said this.

"Oops," Beast Boy said, nervously laughing to conceal his fear. "So what's going to happen to me?"

Archangel sighed, thinking. "At its worst, it will run its course in two weeks. In some situations, it may take up to a month. It starts with a distinctive rash on the abdominal region. This is followed by a numbness in the limbs, which turns to paralysis. In its final stages, there is the coughing or vomiting of blood. Its end result is death."

Raven turned her head and glowered a Beast Boy. "You just had to eat it, didn't you?" she growled.

"So, is there a cure?" Robin asked, clearly concerned.

As Archangel mused on the idea, Starfire could not help but feel there was something familiar about all of this. "Our allies, the Dimsuhati tribe, had developed a cure, though I do not know of its effectiveness. Most of its ingredients can be found in the Great Garden, but that would require-"

"I'll get the T-Ship ready," Cyborg grumbled, "Nice work, grass stain."

XxX

Well, this is not how I saw the rest of my afternoon going," Raven said over the T-ship's intercom.

Cyborg had yet to adjust the T-ship to accommodate six Titans. Starfire, being the only member capable of breathing in space, flew alongside the ship, still able to communicate with the rest of the team via intercom. Beast Boy kept scratching at himself. "Um…when am I supposed to get the rash?" he asked worriedly.

"Calm down," Archangel assured, "by earth time, you will not notice it until the first forty eight hours."

"This sucks," Beast Boy said, pouting. "There's nothing to do out here. Are we there yet?"

"Well, we wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't eaten goat boy's lunch, so stop asking!" Cyborg retorted.

"We are near, Beast Boy," Starfire said.

"So, where exactly is this garden?" Robin asked, "I need to put in some coordinates so we can land."

A sudden realization came upon Archangel, and he felt silly for not having thought of it before. "We cannot land in Visiri territory."

"Why is that?" Raven asked.

"I am banished." Archangel replied.

"Figures," Beast Boy scoffed.

Archangel ignored him. "It was my brother's doing. Also, the Visiri are wary of strangers. The will notice a large vessel such as this. We will have to land outside my people's borders and travel on foot."

"Aw c'mon," Beast Boy whined. "We can't just go in and out?"

"I'm starting to see why Archangel got tired of Beast Boy's attitude," Cyborg mumbled.

"There is a location a good distance east of Visirian territory," Archangel continued.

"And that would be where exactly?" Robin pressed.

"I am familiar with their lands," Starfire added. "I might know of where he is speaking. The territory has not changed?"

"Not significantly," Archangel replied. "Yes, Starfire spent quite a bit of time here, and has a good memory. She can lead us."

"So, this is Naraka?" Raven said as she gazed out the window as they grazed across the sands.

There was nothing but sand dunes for miles. There was the occasional elban tree scattered across the land, but very little else. Cyborg landed the T-ship behind a large rock formation. "So, how far is it from here?" Robin asked.

"It should be no more than a three days journey," Archangel said, "but, given how late it is now, we should just stay here for the night."

"But should we not try and travel now, and be that much closer?" Starfire suggested.

"I do not think any of you understand," Archangel said, a little shortly. "We are not within Visirian lands. We are in open territory. There are more things out there that would rather see us dead than alive. It is worse at night. We should stay here for now. We will also need to take turns keeping watch for the night."

They heard an echoing roar in the distance that sent chills down each of their spines. "I take it that is one of those things that wants us dead?" Raven said.

Archangel nodded. "A dikrarn, one of the fiercest hunters out here."

The night had thankfully passed without incident, and the Titans started their journey at first light. They had to walk west to reach the garden. Walking in the direct opposite of the Narakan sun was uncomfortable and hot as the sun beat on their backs, but the Titans trudged on. They were mostly silent, trying to conserve energy. That silence was only broken occasionally by the odd complaint from Beast Boy. The sands were endless and many were unsure that they could avoid getting lost. Archangel, though, had assured them that the garden was too big to miss, so long as they kept going west. Cyborg kept their bag of provisions handy. The sun had reached its apex and the Titans had stopped for a brief rest. Archangel had explained that they had finally crossed over into Visirian lands, and kept listening for any signs of his own kind, worried all the while. "I just don't understand how several tribes could be surviving on this planet," Cyborg said, after finishing a long drink of water. "This place is a wasteland."

"I'm just glad we haven't had too much excitement," Robin added. "If what Archangel says about warring tribes is true, we have been fortunate."

Archangel's ears suddenly perked up at an all too familiar sound. "Sandstorm!" he shouted. "Get down!"

The winds began to whip all around them. The sands that were kicked up became so thick, no one could see. Not that it mattered as it hurt to even open their eyes. Beast boy tried turning into a mole to bury himself lower to the ground. The winds quickly picked up his little body, however. "Ahhh!" he squealed.

He suddenly felt something collide with him. It was Archangel. He had leapt up and threw himself on top of Beast Boy to weigh him down. When they landed, he opened his wings and closed them around Beast Boy's body to shield him from the stinging sands. "I don't need your help," Beast Boy grunted.

Before they could argue any further, another blast of wind blew them further away, and sent them rolling down a dune. This happened a few more times before the two came to a stop. Sand continued to whip around them. All they could do was wait.

XxX

It had been several hours, or at least that is what they had assumed, before they had noticed that the sands were not rushing around them. It was only then that they heard Starfire calling out, "Robin? Archie? Raven? Beast Boy? Cyborg? Anyone?"

Archangel and Beast Boy roused up from the sands. "Archie, Beast Boy, you are unharmed," she beamed.

"More or less," Beast Boy said, shaking the sand out of his ears.

Archangel had a few small scratches all over his back from where the high-speed sands had struck, but he was otherwise alright. "Where are the rest of our companions?" Archangel asked.

"I am not certain," she said, her head hung low. "I fear the sandstorm has taken us far off course."

"We only rolled down a hill," Beast Boy shrugged. "How far off could we be?"

"What hill?" Starfire asked.

Beast Boy looked around and saw nothing that indicated a downward slope. It was a flat expanse of desert all around. "But we just- It was only- How?" Beast Boy gasped, trying to come up with an explanation.

"We must continue west then," Archangel concluded, "Eventually we will come to the garden, and hopefully find everyone else."

"But what if they are lost? What if something happens to them?" Starfire objected.

"They know which direction to go," Archangel said, trying to calm her, "and they have the provisions."

"But they do not know what may attack them," Starfire continued.

"And neither do we," Archangel said, "Trust me, they are better off than we are right now."

XxX

"Anything?" Robin asked, worriedly.

"Scanners aren't picking up anything," Cyborg sighed. "There isn't a living thing for miles."

"I can't sense them," Raven added, just as distraught.

"They can't have gotten too far," Robin said, already planning. "We have to split up and…"

"That's probably the worst thing we can do now," Raven interrupted. "In a place like this, that we know nothing about, it could be the most dangerous thing we could do."

"But, what if-" Robin started to object.

"Look, all we can do is keep heading west, hope we find the garden, and hope they are there too," Cyborg said, putting a reassuring hand on Robin's shoulder.

This did not feel like a satisfying answer to Robin, but what choice did he have? Raven was right; this was a new and unfamiliar planet to them, and it was even worse now that they had lost their guide. They needed to stay together. That was a hard decision, even since they were separated from half of their team. "We'll have to find a safe place before nightfall," Cyborg continued, picking up their bag of provisions.

"Do you see anything that looks safe?" Raven said. "We're in the middle of a desert. There's nothing in sight."

The three trudged on through the sands, nothing but a vast expanse of more sand in front of them. They kept silent through their march, all of them hoping for some sign of their companions. The Narakan sun was beginning to set though, and their main concern became finding a place to rest. The temperatures were beginning to drop quickly. "Maybe we could just stop here, start a fire, and make sure someone is keeping watch," Cyborg suggested, feeling a slight chill.

"Do you see anything to start a fire with?" Raven said, shooting down the idea. "My magic has limits, and we haven't seen an elban tree for miles."

Robin looked up, about to interject in the argument he knew was coming, when he saw something in the distance. "What's that?" he asked, pointing towards it.

Cyborg used his mechanical eye to zoom in. "It's a building of some sort," he said, eagerly.

"But I thought Archangel said the sentient species around here were all tribal," Raven pondered. "He never mentioned any form of civilizations or such structures."

"Who cares?" Cyborg said, already running towards it.

Raven cast a spell, throwing up a dark wall of magic in front of Cyborg, blocking his path. "We have no idea what may be living there," she objected.

"Raven's right," Robin agreed, "We should approach cautiously. For we all we know, were are approaching territory belonging to one of Archangel's rival tribes."

The trio quietly made their way across the desert towards the structure. As they got near, they became aware that it was not just one building they had found, but the ruins of a forgotten city, almost half buried in the sands. "I wonder if Archangel knows about this place," Cyborg mused.

"I doubt it," said Raven as she found an old torch and lit it with her magic. "He's never mentioned anything about ancient civilizations in Naraka."

"Looks pretty abandoned," Cyborg added.

"All the same," said Robin, being cautious, "we ought to look around and make sure we're not intruding on someone…or something."

The buildings were squared off and made of a worn sandstone. The trio imagined that the city was, at one time, much larger if it had not been half-buried in sand. Darkness had fallen, and it had become much cooler. The three kept close to the warm torch Raven held. Every so often, they could have sworn they heard a shifting sound. However, it appeared that there was no one around. "Can we please just pick one of these buildings and get some sleep?" Cyborg yawned.

"Fine," Robin answered, feeling quite tired himself, "this one seems fine."

The three settled into what they assumed was once the upper floor of a home. Raven drove their torch into the sand for light and warmth. Cyborg meanwhile, began setting up his portable system charger. "Good thing we didn't lose any of the provisions," Cyborg said with a sigh of relief, "or I'd be in trouble without the charger."

"But that does mean the others are up a creek without a paddle," Robin sighed.

"They will be fine, Robin," Raven assured, as she used her magic to keep the flame from dying out. "Archangel knows this place. Starfire's always known how to survive. And Beast Boy…well, he's got them."

Robin only nodded, not to convinced, and stared blankly at that flame, silently agreeing to keep the first watch. In the late hours of the night, the torch had burned out, and all three Titans had succumbed to sleep. In the peace and stillness of the night, a low slithering sound could be heard. Raven sat bolt upright. "Who was that?" she said, as she lit the torch again.

"What? I didn't hear anything," Cyborg groaned, groggily.

The slithering was followed by the sound of hissing. "This isn't good," said Robin as he stood up, grabbing his staff.

The three heard it again, this time closer and to their left. And, yet again, they thought they heard the sound directly under their feet. It was only when they heard the sound behind them that they knew they were in trouble. Standing behind them was a band of a rather unusual species. They were primarily serpentine in structure. From the waist-down, they had writhing, snake-like tails. They did have torsos with arms though, and their head were humanoid in shape, though covered in scales like the rest of their bodies. Their noses were more like short snouts with two slits for nostrils. Like cobras, they had small hoods of scales protecting their heads. What was most unusual about them was that they had no eyes. From the almost luminescent white color of all their scales, and lack of eyes, it became apparent that they were an underground dwelling species, who only came up to hunt. Each of the members of the hunting party carried a spear with the large jawbone of some unknown creature tied to them. "This does not look good," Raven said, counting ten of them surrounding them.

"We mean you no harm," Robin said slowly to them, trying to gage the situation.

"They don't understand us," Cyborg said back, "Do you know the Visiri?"

The serpent-creatures raised their spears, preparing for hostilities. "I take it they are not your friends," Cyborg backpedaled.

XxX

"I suppose we will have to stop here," Archangel said at last, as the three came to a halt.

"But it's nothing but sand," Beast Boy whined. He looked out into the distance. "You're sure there's nowhere else?"

"Nowhere safe," Archangel replied. "Just a little south of here live the Juelulzea tribe. We are not at war with them, but they are not our friends. They merely hunt anything that trespasses their territory."

"How many tribes are there?" Starfire asked. "So far, none of them have sounded friendly."

"Twelve," he replied, "but there are really four dominant tribes: the Visiri, the Vleoksoso, our enemies to the east, the Borri, our enemies to the south, and the Dimsuhati, our allies to the north. The remaining eight tribes are not necessarily involved in our wars. They raid us. We raid them. Some prefer to be left alone. The Juelulzea are one of those tribes. They have no eyes. They hunt by scent and detecting body heat."

Beast Boy and Archangel turned towards Starfire. They both knew between the three of them, they would spot her first. "We will have to keep active watch," Archangel concluded. "Hopefully, they find something better than us to hunt."

"Our friends are still lost!" Starfire exclaimed. "How can we think of stopping now?"

"Starfire, we will be of no good to them if we do not rest. We have traveled all day without food or water. I know you, and even your incredible strength and energy has its limits," Archangel reassured. "Now, I can take the first watch. You, rest."

Starfire was reluctant, but eventually yielded and fell into a deep sleep. She awoke that morning to the smell of cooking meat. She turned over to see Archangel turning something over a fire. "What? When? How?" she said, a little groggily.

"You must have been more tired than you thought," he said, pleasantly. "Beast Boy and I could not wake you, so we took care of keeping watch. I caught the scent of a gorgal this morning, and trailed it. We now have food. There is also a groundwater source not far from here."

"Beast Boy?" she said, still coming to.

"Gorgals are good at finding edible roots underground," Archangel said, remembering Beast Boy's diet. "I did not kill it until it had found some. He's still asleep though."

She sat up, and saw Beast Boy snoozing a few yards across from her. She came over and sat beside Archangel as he handed her a portion of the leg he was cooking. "Since we are in Juelulzea territory," Archangel began, "we will come across the temple to Malakb. It is a two day journey from here."

"And our friends?" she asked, worriedly.

"I plan to leave you and Beast Boy at the temple. I will go and search for them if we have not found them yet."

"No," Starfire objected, "let us help. We can cover-"

"By then, the poison will have started affecting him. It is best if-"

"Ahh!" Beast Boy cried out suddenly.

From their spot, they could see Beast Boy holding his shirt up, looking at his chest and stomach. He was covered up and down his body in purple-black, puss-filled spots. "It is affecting him now," Starfire said at last.

"Then time is of the essence," Archangel said. "We must leave."

Beast Boy tried to stand, but his legs wobbled beneath him and he fell. I don't feel so good," he said.

"Does the paralysis set in so quickly?" Starfire asked.

"No, this is an unusual development," Archangel said worriedly. "I will carry Beast Boy. You will handle the provisions. We can switch at mid-day."

Archangel lifted Beast Boy piggyback, Beast Boy using his last effort in his arms to hold on to his shoulders. "Well this is fun already," Beast Boy quipped sarcastically.

"Have I ever told you the story behind the prulom?" Archangel said, trying to change the subject before Beast Boy got on his nerves.

"Yeah, like I really want to know a stupid story about something that's going to kill me," Beast Boy sighed.

"I have never heard it," Starfire said, trying to defuse the tension. She wished she could understand what was going on between those two.

"Tell me," Archangel began, "how many moons did you see last night?"

"Three," Beast Boy said, "is there a point to all of this?"

Archangel smiled to himself. "Indeed," he said, "it may mean fortune smiles upon us yet. There are actually four moons of Naraka. They are named for four special people in Naraka's history. You see, here, and on many planets, it is believed our deity, Malakb, was known to take various consorts. Through each of these consorts he had one child, who was supposed to be a prophet of his message. Some succeeded. Some did not. And still some succeeded in ways they did not expect. However, these consorts were so special to him, that when they died, he gave them a place of honor in the night sky as the moons that surround the planets."

"All of them?" Beast Boy asked, starting to become interested, "even Earth's moon?"

"In our beliefs, yes," Archangel replied, "but I have never heard you use any names for it, other than the moon. Here on Naraka, the four moons are named for the four consorts Malakb had here, each from one of the four leading tribes. All four of them are followers of this solar god.

"The first to be seen in the night sky was Esinni, who hailed from the Vleoksoso tribe of the east. Her son, Astollo, first spread the religion of Malakb to Naraka. Because she was the first, she received special honor by being the first to follow Malakb across the sky. The moon, Esinni, can be seen every night.

"The second to be spotted was Sohalia, from the Dimsuhati of the north. Her daughter, Pallavi, built the temple to Malakb, which we are heading to now. Sohalia can only be seen during the season of long nights, or winter, as you call it.

"Third was Izel, the Borri of the south. Her daughter, Yolotli, spread the religion to all corners of Naraka. Her moon can be seen during our summer.

"Finally, there was Laezuel, the Visiri. Her moon was the last to be seen in the sky. She only passes over Naraka once a year. Such times when her moon appears are considered incredibly fortunate for our people. She was one of the moons you saw. Her story is the one we shall tell.

"In a time long before, the Borri had enslaved my people. They were abused, weary, and had given up all hope. They wore shackles with bells attached to them so that their masters always knew where they were. The Visiri were one of the few larger tribes who still practiced the worship of their ancestors. Some had embraced the religion to Malakb, the religion of their masters, but most felt that the foreign god did not hear their pleas.

"The Borri had been driven from their home by the Dimsuhati, and were searching for new lands. They had traveled far across the desert, many Borri dying of thirst and starvation, and even more Visiri dying from worse. After such a long time, they came upon what they thought was paradise."

"The Great Garden," Starfire said.

"Quite, although back then, it was not quite the same. No one had traveled beyond the planet of Naraka at that time. So all that grew there were wild plants native to Naraka. It was bigger back then, too," he sighed, "Water ran freely, and there were plenty of edible plants in the garden. There were trees with many fruits. But there was only one tree in the garden, which had a particular fruit; one that had never been seen before. This was the prulom tree.

"The tree was the tallest and the widest in the garden, and the beautiful fruit hung from every one of its branches. The Borri did not share the location of this tree to the Visiri, wishing to keep such a treasure to themselves. It did not take long though for them to discover the truth about the fruit as the first few to eat it, died. The tree became forbidden, and the Borri set about to settling in their new land. The Borri were not farmers. They did not cultivate the garden, but only took from it. It became clear that it would not be long before they destroyed the garden.

"Now, among the Visirian slaves was Laezuel, at that time only a slave to the Borri. She was with child, though the father she would not name, for fear of what her people would say."

"Malakb," Beast Boy breathed.

"Indeed," Archangel nodded, "she had come upon the prulom tree by accident, though no one guarded it, as the Borri avoided it. There, she was beset with an unusual hunger for the forbidden fruit. Though she heard from her masters of its poisonous effects, she ate of it anyway. In time, she discovered that the fruit did not kill her, but rather made her, and her unborn child stronger. Soon, word spread to the Visiri of their immunity to the prulom's poison. This knowledge became their strength. They took some of the fruit and secretly cooked it into their masters' meals. Revolt erupted. With the Borri weakened by the poison and the Visiri as vital as ever, they stood no chance. The Borri fled, and the Visiri were not only free, but now possessed the Great Garden.

"The damage was done though. Very few of the original plants would live after the Borri had taken their nutrients. Only the prulom tree would survive. They built a massive tomb underneath the roots of the tree to honor their ancestors for saving them from the Borri. However, Laezuel's son, Amphrathael, was convinced it was Malakb who had led them to their salvation. For him, it was the Borri who had harmed them, not the god. He ended our worship of the ancestors, and made us the last tribe to embrace Malakb. The tree still stands. It is the only native plant to Naraka in the garden now. The tomb is still used as a burial spot for former chiefs, but it is not the spot of worship it once was."

Archangel had finished his tale. All the while, he, Starfire, and Beast Boy had traveled across the desert, over high crags and down the sand dunes. The day was nearing its end. All throughout, Beast Boy had held on to either Archangel or Starfire, his legs feeling weaker by the minute. At the moment, he clung to Starfire. Archangel carried their food and water. "We can rest here," Archangel said, "By tomorrow, we will reach the temple."

"Good," said Beast Boy, weakly.

His arms finally gave way and he fell off Starfire's back. "Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed.

Beast Boy struggled to move his arms. "Paralysis has fully set in sooner than I had expected," Archangel said, trying to contain his worry. "With his unpredictable condition, perhaps it is best we move on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can help him."

XxX

Starfire, Archangel, and Beast Boy traveled all through the night. Beast Boy, for once, stayed quiet, too weak to say anything. Starfire's worry for Beast Boy and her friends kept her silent. She looked up at the sky, seeing the three of the four moons above. If Archangel was right, they had luck on their side and they would get through this. "Is there ever a time when one can see all four of Naraka's moons?" she asked, trying to distract herself.

"There is only one day during the time of Laezuel's moon when this occurs," Archangel replied, "On that day, all war ceases between the four tribes and a grand ceremony is held at the temple. That day has already passed this time."

"And you never were here for it," Starfire sighed, "You were banished. Archie, you never said anything about-"

"Shhh!" Archangel interrupted.

His ears were fully erect as he scanned the desert for the source of the sound. He carefully set down Beast Boy and drew his sword. A look crossed his face, which Starfire had never seen before, but she could not quite describe it. "Archie, I hear nothing," she said, "Are you certain-"

A thundering roar echoed and something pounced upon Archangel. It had a feline face with a muzzle filled with sharp teeth. It had no fur, but had painted its skin in war paint resembling a leopard. Its ears were tall and pointed with several rings pierced through them. It also had a tail, not like a cat, but more like a rat as it too was hairless. It carried a long spear, but had thrown that down in favor of using a carved dagger to fight Archangel at close range. The two wrestled as they rolled down a dune. As they slowed to a stop, Archangel ignited his hands, and the creature yowled and jumped off him as his hands burned from being locked in combat with him. He recovered quickly though and rushed at Archangel, drawing blood as one of his clawed hands scratched Archangel across the chest. This threw Archangel into a rage, the likes of which no one had ever seen. He rushed into a powerful head-butt and knocked his adversary back. As he fell back, Archangel leapt upon him. Cold fury was in his eyes. "Borri scum!" Archangel spat.

Fear pierced the heart of the Borri warrior as he looked into Archangel's white eyes. "Tameri Morat," he breathed, now certain he had met his end.

Archangel raised his sword, now engulfed in flames, ready to strike a final blow. As he swung down, Starfire stayed his hand. "Stop!" she shouted.

She could still hear his adrenaline-filled breathing, his nostrils still flared. She could feel his arm trying to pull away so that he could strike again, but she held fast, staring him down. She now knew what that look on his face was. At last, he dropped his sword and stood, yanking his arm away from her loosening grip. The Borri scampered away, muttering a silent prayer, thankful to have walked away. "Archie, can we-" she began.

"No," he said, shortly.

"I feel I deserve to know-" she tried again.

"I said no!" he roared.

For a split second, she was certain he would have pointed that sword at her. She could tell he was still trying to settle his breathing as he said, "Let us get Beast Boy and continue. We are only wasting time."

XxX

There were ten Juelulzea hunters surrounding Robin, Cyborg, and Raven. One took the first move and struck Cyborg with their jawbone club. While it did nothing to Cyborg's metal frame, it made a solid smack as it hit his shoulder. There was now a small crack in the bone tied to the spear. His attacker lifted it up to strike again. Cyborg caught this one and threw the assailant over his head. Two more set upon him, each coiling their tails around each of his legs. He grabbed one by the arm and threw them face first into the other. They tumbled about, trying to regain their orientation.

Raven used her magic to sink through the ground, hoping to take her attacker by surprise when she re-emerged from behind. As she did so, she was surprised herself to find her attacker already turned to face her. How could they have known? She did her best to shield herself from the oncoming blow from its club. They really were relentless, she thought. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shouted, blasting her attacker back.

He flew back, hitting the wall behind him. Another struck Raven from behind, slamming his club against her shoulder. She fell forward, racked with pain. The Juelulzea stood over her, ready to give the final blow when Robin swung in, knocking him over. "There's too many of them," Robin said as he struck another coming at him with his staff, "and I don't think they'll give up."

"Great observation, Captain Obvious," Raven said, "so what now?"

"Run!" Robin commanded.

He helped Raven up and they left. Cyborg threw off the three warriors trying to cling to his back and followed. "Well that was a restful night's sleep," Cyborg said, sarcastically.

The Narakan sun was just peeking over the horizon. "We'll just have to keep going west," Robin sighed. "Hopefully, the others are doing better than we are right now."

"Aw man," Cyborg said, "I grabbed my battery before those things could get to it, but the food and water is still back there."

"Then we'll have to keep moving," Robin concluded.

"If this poison doesn't kill Beast Boy, I might," Raven said. "This has been one long nightmare."

They moved on, Robin searching out across the horizon for any sign of Archangel, Beast Boy, or Starfire. His mind was already racing, thinking the worst had happened to them. They had been traveling, almost non-stop for a day and a half. The pressing need for water was becoming apparent. Robin's thoughts were disrupted as Cyborg nudged him. "Another sandstorm coming our way," he said, worriedly.

Robin looked around. "There!" he said, pointing in the distance towards a rock formation.

Cyborg saw it too; a small crevice in the rocks would provide them with temporary shelter from the storm. The three hurried towards it. As they entered, they became aware that this was not just a crevice, but the entrance to a cave. "Where there's a cave, there has to be water," Robin thought aloud.

"I hear something that sounds like a drip," Cyborg said. "I'll check it out."

It was only then that they heard a cackling laughter and noticed dozens of beady, yellow eyes staring at them. "Well this is terrific," Raven said.

XxX

Archangel, Starfire, and Beast Boy had stayed quiet through the rest of their journey. Archangel was still too angry to speak, and Starfire had kept her distance. Beast Boy sensed the tension and knew when to stay out of it. They had finally reached the temple to Malakb. It was an impressive structure. It was a large, sandstone building. The sheer size of it was on a scale none had ever seen. It seemed more like a palace. The columns alone, stood like great giants over the three. A figure awaited them as they climbed up the stairs. "Grand Priestess Kaashi," he greeted, "It is an honor."

The priestess they spoke to was of the Dimsuhati tribe. Like most of her species, she had large, elephantine ears, and small tusks, which had been adorned with gold chains. Her face and body were more like a monkey, covered in hair with distinctive brows and jaw. Like all Dimsuhati, she also had four arms. She was about to offer him a formal greeting when she saw his face. "Zadkiel?" she said rather surprised. "You have returned. But how?"

"Saraqael does not know," Archangel finished. "May we stay here? My friend is ill, and we have lost several of my other friends out there."

She nodded eagerly. "Malakb always has a place for his children," she said. "Come, Grand Priestess Onoel will be delighted to see you."

They entered the grand structure, following behind her. It was a rather open space, lined with many side rooms. In the center of the structure was a massive statue of the great deity. The figure sat upon a carved flower. The body faced east. Starfire assumed that was because the religion originated in the east. The left hand was held in a position Starfire recognized. It was upright with the fingers bent at particular angles. Archangel had once said the gesture meant "el" or "soul." The right hand was held in an inverted version of the left. She did not know what that one meant. The uniqe part of the statue was that the head had four faces, each pointed in the four cardinal directions. She easily spotted the Visirian face pointing west. She could pick out the Dimsuhati face pointing north after having met the grand priestess. She also recognized the Borri face pointing southward, after their earlier encounter. She assumed the eastward face was the Vleoksoso face; it was a frilled and wild face, which she felt looked familiar. Perhaps something in one of Raven's books? "Malakb has always had four faces?" she whispered.

Archangel finally broke his silence with her. "Many more than that," he said. "He probably has a human and a Tamaranean face as well, but for simplicity, we represent him with the four faces of his devoted tribes."

At the base of the temple, directly below each face, was a small tripod. They were led around to the western side where an aged Visiri stood near her tripod, a small blaze burning within. "Grand Priestess Onoel," he greeted.

She turned to them. "Do not be so formal, grandson," she greeted back.

"Grandson?" Beast boy sputtered from over Starfire's shoulder.

"Yes," he said, "the widow of a former chief serves as our grand priestess."

"Zadkiel," the priestess said, "you have returned? With-"

"I know," he said, "but it's urgent."

She nodded, noting Beast Boy's sickly appearance. "He will be fine for a few more days," she concluded. "You will stay the night."

She then looked at Starfire. "Saraqael will not be pleased," she warned.

"Which is why he must never know," Archangel whispered to her. "Also, I have friends who are lost. Send these two onto the garden in the morning. I will seek out the others."

Starfire was about to offer protest, but thought better of it, not wanting to argue with her friend here. "You have been missed," Onoel said, hugging her grandson. "You must tell us of your travels."

XxX

Starfire finally worked up the courage that evening. She was going to talk with Archangel, one way or the other. She found him out on the western steps of the temple, engaging in evening prayer with his grandmother. They were just finishing as she arrived. Their two voices, Archangel's resonating bellow, and her soft hum, created a most wonderful duet. His grandmother struck his legs playfully with her cane. "Your form is all wrong," she scolded. "You have gotten lazy."

She retreated back to the temple, but not before giving Starfire a kindly smile. Archangel sat on the uppermost step, taking his ceremonial bells off his ankles. "Archie," she said, treading carefully, "I wish to speak."

She saw the muscles in his back tense up. "I told you before," he sighed. "It has been eight years, your time, we have not seen each other. You no longer know me."

Starfire sat beside him. "But I want to know you," she said, pausing before her next sentence, "no matter how frightening it is. Please, Archie?"

He took a deep breath before speaking, "You heard that Borri warrior. I am called Tameri Morat. It means-"

"It means Blind Death," Starfire finished. "I understood. Is that who you are here?"

"It is who I was," he replied.

"Of that, I am not certain," she said. "The way you were about to…I do not believe that is something only in your past."

"You were not there," he continued. "In the eyes of my family, I was weak. I had to survive. I had to become one of them."

"You have killed?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," he said, almost in a whisper, a tear trickling down his cheek, "I would like to think that because these were in battle, it was only self-defense, but that would be a lie. This is why I am called Blind Death. I have gained some respect for my deeds in battle. You would not understand."

If only he knew, Starfire thought. She reached out and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He only gave her a small smile. "Do you regret it?" she asked.

"Every day," he replied.

"Then that is why you are not like them," Starfire stated. "You have inherited great qualities from your people. You have their courage, their determination and yes, their temper, but you should not fear these things within or you will always give into them. You are not the Zadkiel I knew. And you do not want to be the Blind Death your family made you. You should be you."

"I am Archangel," he concluded at last.

"Yes! And I accept you as nothing more or less than that."

XxX

A stillness had descended upon the temple as everyone slept. Starfire knew that Archangel planned to leave at first light. She hated to betray him, but their friends needed them, all of them. She could not sit back and wait. She crept along the temple halls, preparing to leave. "You are devoted to your friends," a voice said, startling her, "yet you do not know where to begin to find them."

It was Grand Priestess Onoel, a trickster-like smile upon her face. "Do you know where I may find them?" she asked nervously, waiting for her to wake Archangel.

"Malakb knows all," she replied. "Come."

She followed the priestess to her flame. "Forgive me if I am skeptical," Starfire said, "Truthfully, I do not even know if I have any faith in X'hal anymore."

She was not offended, but proceeded to inhale the smoke from the flames. She looked at Starfire. Starfire could tell that the priestess was not looking at her, so much as within her. "Like your X'hal," the priestess said, "Malakb cannot prevent suffering."

That seemed obvious. If he could, he would have prevented so much, Starfire thought. "You have suffered much," the priestess continued, "and unlike your X'hal, Malakb weeps with you."

This took Starfire by surprise, and her breath hitched a little as the priestess said it. How could she possibly know? "I should also tell you that for as much suffering there is out there, there is as much pleasure and joy. You will find it. Now, as to your friends, there is a cave not far from here..."

XxX

"Ugh, my stomach," Beast Boy groaned. "What did we eat tonight?"

"That may be the poison," Archangel replied, sitting beside him, "but Vleoksoso cuisine can be a little difficult."

They were getting ready to go to sleep in one of the many rooms of the temple. Beast Boy finally stopped groaning long enough to say, "Listen, I'm sorry about lately. We wouldn't be here if I hadn't been so mad at you."

"May I inquire as to why?" Archangel said. "I feel it is unwarranted. I did nothing to you. But I am sorry as well. I should not have let my temper get the best of me."

Archangel was worried what Beast Boy would say next. If he had heard him with… No, that could not be. He would have been smart enough, if he had, not to eat the prulom. "It's just," Beast Boy began, trying to find the right words, "I saw you with…Raven a while back. She, you know, kissed you, and well… I don't know. I guess I got jealous."

Archangel chuckled, now quite relieved, "That is all?"

"That's all?!" Beast Boy shouted, sitting up, though later regretting it as his stomach became unsettled once more. "Man, I just poured my heart out, and all you can say is 'that is all?'"

"I apologize," Archangel said, still laughing, "but you have misinterpreted the exchange. Raven and I are not engaged in any form of courtship. We are merely good friends."

"So, the kiss?"

"If I understand earth customs, your kiss has many meanings, and this one was but a friendly gesture," Archangel replied.

"Oh," Beast Boy said, feeling rather silly. He fidgeted with his fingers, not sure where to go from here. "So," he finally said, "can you not-"

"If you wish your feelings for Raven to remain untold, I will not tell," he replied, knowing the question Beast Boy was about to ask.

"So, we're good?"

"Yes, we are still friends" Archangel agreed, "but promise you will tell me why you are angry before it gets this far."

"As long as you don't head butt me into tomorrow with one of those challenges," Beast Boy added.

That morning, Archangel prepared to leave. "I will be back as soon as I can," Archangel said to his grandmother, "See to it that Starfire and Beast Boy are led in the right direction to the garden. I will join them shortly."

"Your friend, the Tamaranean, I have sent her in the direction of your friends," she replied.

"What? Where did you send her?" he asked, becoming quite worried.

"In the Karika territory, there is a cave. There is where you will find your friends."

"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked from his place, lying in the other room.

"Starfire left to find the others," Archangel replied, beginning to pace worriedly. "She has entered Karika territory. I fear the worst."

"Another tribe?" Beast Boy asked, still trying to catch up to the conversation.

"Of all the tribes on Naraka," he said, trying to steady his breath, "we have never actually seen the Karika. We fear them the most."

Having left Beast Boy in the care of the priestesses, Archangel now stood before the entrance to the cave. He could still pick up trace amounts of the others' scents. They had been here. He stepped in, listening carefully for any sign of life. The cave was rather cramped, which meant flying was not an option. He focused on trying to hear any movement. He was not that far behind Starfire. There! He heard it. He could hear her sharp breaths as she ran from the hyena-like laughing of the Karikas. With new-found determination, he tried to follow them. The cave quickly turned into a labyrinth of tunnels, and the echoes of the cave made it difficult to know the precise location of the sounds. He had managed to get himself into a tight space and had to crawl on his hands and knees. He felt a pocket of open space ahead, and inched his way towards it. As he did, he misjudged his bearings and fell straight down, landing on top of Starfire. "Archie!" she cried, as she realized who it was.

"I could not let you come here alone," he said.

"But, Beast Boy…" she started.

"Is fine for now," Archangel finished. "Now, we have to-"

They both heard the maniacal laughing again. "I cannot see these creatures," Starfire said, becoming frightened. "I have become quite lost as a result."

"They are Karikas, and no one has seen them. They like to stay hidden in caves like this."

They could now hear them rushing all around them, blocking any escape. "They are fast, and they are hidden, but we will fight back," Archangel said, igniting his fists.

Even with the light source, the Karikas remained hiding in the shadows. But one, seeing the faces of their intruders said in an awed whisper, "Tameri Morat…"

Archangel gave Starfire one of his smiles. "It is Archangel," he corrected, sending a jet of flames in the direction of the voice.

Dozens of dark shadows leapt out of its path. In response, their attackers leapt upon them. Archangel was not certain how many had jumped upon him, or how many arms or legs each had. He could only feel a mass of hairy limbs clawing at him. Starfire was in a similar situation, unsure where her target actually was. She launched starbolts blindly, only stunning one or two at a time, prompting even more to attack. She felt something jab her side. She was unsure if it was a small spear or a claw, but did not care to find out. A blast from her eyes put a stop to it, whatever it was. It was becoming clear thought that they were vastly outnumbered.

Archangel's flames would only startle one or two at a time, but he could never figure out what to aim for. Without any idea of their size or shape, getting an advantage was difficult. His hooves bucked as he felt one get close to his feet. He heard a solid thud of something hitting the cave wall behind him. There were still so many clawing at him though. In a swift motion, he opened his wings, shaking many of them off. This gave him the opportunity to reach for his horn. With a powerful blow, the whole cave shook, rock crumbling around them. The Karikas immediately fell back.

With free movement of her arms, Starfire used her starbolts to have better light in the cave. She finally saw the Karikas for what they were. They were incredibly small, no higher than her knees. Their bodies were small orbs with eyes and teeth and two arms and two legs protruding from the orb. They were completely covered in hair, black as night, which had helped them stay hidden. They all cowered in the corner of the cave, covering what must have been their ears. Archangel had his hands aflame, ready for another round.

"Archie, wait!" Starfire shouted. "They are not our enemies. They are as frightened as we are."

Only now could he hear their whimpering. He settled. "We seek our friends," he said in his own language, not sure if they could understand, "We mean no harm, as long as you have not harmed them."

A Karika, slightly larger than the others, who it was assumed to be their leader, got the courage to step forward. "Lies!" he spat. "Tameri Morat lies! Visiri all lie!"

Archangel was surprised that they knew his language. "You attacked us," he corrected. "We apologize. We did not mean it."

"Visiri attack us!" their leader shouted, frantically, "No safe from Visiri."

It finally started to register with Archangel: Saraqael. "My brother, you call him Valuna Morat; he attacks you?"

"Black death?" Starfire asked.

"Yes," Archangel whispered back, "that is what he is called."

"Valuna Morat send Visiri to kill. No safe!" he repeated.

"I am no longer a part of that tribe," Archangel tried to explain.

"Lie!" the Karika shouted.

Archangel had to tread carefully. He was not sure how much they knew. "No, truth," he said, "Valuna Morat has banished me. Tameri Morat is no more." He placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "She is part of my tribe now, as are my friends, who I believe are here."

The Karika looked the Tamaranean over. "She no Visiri," he stated.

"No, she is not," Archangel agreed, "but like family." He tried to find the right words. "They are el genae."

"I do not understand that term," Starfire interrupted.

"It means 'soul tribe.' It is the tribe or family one feels a sense of belonging with," he explained, "which is not always the one a person was born into."

She smiled at him, feeling honored to be called family. The Karika was still somewhat suspicious. "If no Tameri Morat, what we call you?"

"I am Zadkiel," he said proudly.

The Karika nodded. "Friends, three of them, yes?"

"Yes," Archangel replied eagerly, "You have seen them?"

"They ran. Karika no chase, only scare. May be in traps deep in cave."

"You will take us to them?"

The creature grunted his approval and motioned for them to follow. These caves were much larger than either Archangel or Starfire had first imagined. The Karika navigated the labyrinthine caverns with ease and led them to several net traps on the farthest edges of the caves. Sure enough, swinging only a few feet above them were Robin, Raven, and Cyborg. "Friends!" Starfire beamed, "It is glorious to see you. Now we may continue our journey."

"Wait! Why aren't those little ankle-biters attacking you?" Cyborg said.

"We have only recently come to an understanding. We will get you down and resume our endeavor."

The Karikas led the group out of the cave. They stood at the entrance. "You no Visiri tribe," the Karika leader stated, "What your tribe name?"

"Call us Titans," Archangel replied.

XxX

Upon their arrival back at the temple, it had become apparent that Beast Boy had gotten progressively worse. Thus, the team made haste to reach the garden. It took almost a full day, and by then, it was nightfall when they had arrived. Starfire had never seen the garden at night, and it was a breath-taking sight. A significant number of plants and animals had a bioluminescence about them, creating an almost magical glow throughout the garden, making it lit enough to see their way around. Archangel still remembered every inch of the garden, though, and led them with ease. He led them to a thin, but tall tree, where an animal-skin tent had been built around the trunk. "This was my home," he said, "Beast Boy can rest here. I conferred with High Priestess Kaashi. I know which ingredients we need to find."

They heard a rustling from behind them. The Titans went into defense mode, ready to attack. Out of the brush came a motley colored Visiri, his fists ignited. "Zadkiel?" he paused, realizing who had intruded upon the garden.

"Uncle,' Archangel greeted, embracing him.

"You are here?" he said, rather puzzled. "With…but how? Does-"

"Saraqael does not know," Archangel finished, "and he will not know."

He punctuated that last sentence with urgency. "Understood," Jegudiel said, "but it is not safe to be here."

"I would not have come if it was not urgent," Archangel replied, nodding over to Beast Boy, who lay across his back.

Jegudiel looked at Beast Boy. "Prulom, it would appear," he said, mostly to himself. "I have most everything you would need. You will have to go to the tree yourself."

"Tree?" Raven inquired.

"The prulom tree," Archangel explained. "The cure requires sap from the tree."

Starfire and Raven opted to go with Archangel, while Robin and Cyborg stayed with Beast Boy. The tree was indeed a grand sight, standing high in its own grove, undisturbed. There was a cave-like entrance in the ground in front of the tree, which Starfire assumed to be the tomb of the tribe's leaders. "So, this is the only native plant to this planet," Raven said, a little awestruck herself.

She made a step forward, but Archangel stopped her. "Not to be rude, but although we no longer worship our ancestors, we still revere them," he said. "This is still sacred ground. Though, that has not stopped others."

Raven nodded, understanding. She and Starfire stayed back. Archangel did not head for the tree at first. Instead, he descended into the tomb. He had been given a dagger by his uncle to help extract the sap, and had it drawn when he descended. He re-emerged momentarily, making way for the tree, his left hand dripping with blood. He climbed the massive roots of the tree, some still above ground, and using one of the tree's leaves to collect the sap, used the dagger to dig deep enough into the tree. He returned to the two, a good amount of sap collected. "What was that about?" Raven asked, indicating his bleeding hand.

"Entering sacred ground requires honoring the ancestors. Those who do not may find misfortune," he explained, making his way back to their camp.

A small clay pot of a thick, purple liquid bubbled over a small fire in Archangel's tent. He carefully removed it from the flame. "Let it cool a moment," he instructed, "but drink this, and you will be fine. The rash may stay for a few more days, but otherwise, you will be yourself once more."

Beast Boy took a sip. "Blech! This is worse than the poison," he complained.

"I never said it would taste pleasant," Archangel commented. "Now, I believe it would be best to get plenty of rest before we go back to our vessel in the morning."

He climbed out through the large opening in the top of the tent, and took a sleeping position in the branches above. "Got to admit," said Robin, sitting beside Starfire, "This is a pretty amazing place. Almost wish we could see more of it."

"I can understand why Archangel misses his home," Starfire added.

"Could've been your home once," Beast Boy said, starting to feel much better.

Starfire sighed. More than once since Archangel's return, she had wondered what could have been had not their betrothal ended so abruptly. She truly was happy with the life she had now, but what if? Maybe her parents and brother would still be alive. Maybe her home would not have been destroyed. Maybe she would not have been traded off for peace. Maybe the gordanians would not have… No, she did not want to think about that now. By now, the others had gone to sleep, and she was drifting off herself.

XxX

The journey back had been far less strenuous. The Titans had been home for almost a week, their lives returning to what passed as normalcy in the lives of superheroes. Archangel had gone for a walk along the beach, around the island as he frequently liked to do. He had been quite content since their return. That inner peace was ruined when he heard the beat of wings behind him. "What happened?" a voice demanded.

"You are very bold to seek me in daylight," Archangel said, "that, or very foolish."

A strong hand grabbed him from behind and forced him to his knees. "I said, what happened?" the voice demanded again, jerking his head back.

"I could not help it that Beast Boy ate the prulom," Archangel sputtered. "I did not foresee that possibility."

"But you let him live!" the voice roared.

"Yes," Archangel said defiantly, "he is not the target. I refuse to let him die in such a manner."

"You fool!" the voice thundered. "That would have been one less to resist us when the time was right."

Archangel was released and the figure began to pace. "This was not what we agreed to," Archangel added. "Perhaps now, you will let me do it my way."

"I have no choice now, do I? If I see anything more suspicious, I will assume you are sabotaging the plan."

"I will not fail you."

Archangel had returned, still shaken from his encounter, but tried to soothe his nerves with one of his books. Although he and Beast Boy were friends again, Beast Boy wasted no time annoying his friend. "Beast Boy, must you have that so close?" He was referring to the small pile of dirty socks Beast Boy had in his hand.

"When Cyborg gets back, he said he'd play stank ball," Beast Boy explained. "You can play winner."

"Most certainly not," Archangel said.

"Whatever, but you need to move so we have the living room to play."

Beast Boy made an effort to shove Archangel out of the way. He was not amused and gave a light shove back. "I thought Starfire had you work on getting rid of the temper," Beast Boy objected.

"Not at all," Archangel replied. "I learned to accept myself, so long as I do not let my rage take control. But at times like these, you deserve it. That is, unless you wish to challenge me." He could feel a warning glance coming from Starfire. He flashed his sideways grin. "No harm will happen," he assured. "It will not be to the death. It will end when Beast Boy admits he is wrong and no longer desires to challenge me."

"Hey!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

The disagreement was interrupted as Cyborg returned, carrying a rather large box. "What's that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well, after what happened," Cyborg said, "I think I found a solution to our fridge problem. This mini-fridge is strictly for anything potentially deadly that Starfire or Archangel might have. That means stay out Beast Boy."

Archangel shrugged. "The prulom was all I had."

"Wonderful idea," Starfire said, as she proceeded to gather several odds and ends out of the fridge. "Uh, Starfire," Robin began.

"Hm?"

"How long have you had that stuff?" Cyborg asked, never having realized how many dangerous things she had brought from her homeworld.

"I suppose since I have lived here," she replied, not really thinking about it.

"And that's all poisonous to humans?" Beast Boy asked, worriedly.

"Very, though not as fast as a prulom. It could be months before you show any symptoms." A sudden thought occurred to her. "You have not eaten any of these things have you?"

"Uh…"

"I'll fire up the T-ship," Cyborg groaned.

Raven turned on him. "Idiot! You couldn't leave just well-enough alone, could you?"


	7. Episode 7: Blood and Water

**Episode 7: Blood and Water**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Thanks so much, as always, to Vball and bearhow. The reviews really make my day. You know the drill. Still don't own the Teen Titans._

 **Naraka, 9 Years Ago:**

Starfire's stay on Naraka proved to be an extensive one as her father was becoming familiar with Visirian military technique. Not that Starfire minded. It gave her time to become acquainted with Visirian culture. Though what she had seen so far did concern her. Women among the Visiri had almost no rights and were rarely seen out among the camp. Although Zadkiel treated her with respect, the same could not be said of the other Visiri males in the camp. As she walked with him, she could hear their whisperings. Some of the names they called her she could not quite understand, but she assumed they were very insulting, given the context.

Only within the past couple of days was she acquainted to Zadkiel's mother and three younger brothers. His mother was a quiet woman, though rather kind. While it was clear that she loved Zadkiel, she frequently spoke of his blindness as a "weakness." "So, you have no sisters?" Starfire inquired, making conversation as they walked.

"No, princess," he replied, "chief's do not have daughters."

"What do you mean?"

"A chief only produces sons," he clarified.

"That is impossible," Starfire objected, "one cannot merely control…"

Zadkiel would not meet her eyes. She knew he had a response, but did not wish to share it. Perhaps a chief could, Starfire realized, having an idea of what her friend was hiding. The exchange was cut short as Chief Raguel's shadow loomed over them. "You should be at the training grounds," his voice bellowed as he glowered at Zadkiel. "Get going!"

He scampered along, too frightened to even say goodbye to Starfire. She was about to follow him when the chief held her back. "I am sorry, princess," he said with some difficulty, clearly frustrated that he had to address her with respect, "women are not permitted on the training grounds."

Starfire had settled to watch the lesson from afar with two of Zadkiel's younger brothers, Ramiel and Simiel. The youngest, Azrael, was not much younger than her own brother, and far too small.

The first part of his training required hand-to-hand combat sparring. Zadkiel was matched up against a sturdy Visiri, not more than a year older than himself. The two took a charging position at either end of the field. At the signal, the two ran full force at each other. Zadkiel was immediately knocked back a few feet, and lay there a bit stunned. His opponent leapt upon him and the two wrestled about. Neither was allowed to use their abilities over fire and had to resort to their own physical strength to try to overpower each other. Zadkiel was clearly not doing well and finally gave in when the other punched him hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. The victor stood, leaving Zadkiel to catch his breath. He tried to sit up, and his opponent then added insult to injury by spitting in his face. "Stay down, worthless scum!" he said, punctuating his taunt with a solid kick to the head.

Starfire winced. She had come to learn that Visiri had thicker skulls and could take such hits without much injury, but even that looked like it hurt. The rest of the training proceeded in a similar manner. Zadkiel's inaptitude clearly showed. The ridicule however, did not end. By the end of the day, he lay face down in the sand, having lost an armed sparring match. His father, having seen enough came to him as he tried to stand. He grabbed his son by the hair. "Chief's only have sons," he reminded him, "and right now, you are no son of mine."

He thrust Zadkiel's face back into the sand as he left. Starfire had seen enough.

XxX

That night, Zadkiel and Starfire were in the Great Garden. He was applying a salve to the hoof-shaped bruise near his left eye from earlier that day. "It is to help us practice for challenges from other males," he was explaining. "When a male has his horns grow out, he is considered a man. He is then able to claim territory and mates. Just as well, other males may challenge him for these. Such challenges are how these disputes are solved."

"And these challenges are to the death?" Starfire asked, still trying to understand this barbaric practice.

"No, only until one surrenders. If one challenges the chief for control of the tribe that is to the death. But, most Visiri would rather die than face the shame of surrender."

"And the war training," she continued, "is that necessary for the keeper of the garden?"

"First and foremost, I must be a warrior," Zadkiel sighed, "and also, some armies do try to attack the garden. I have to know how to protect it."

Starfire had been thinking ever since they left the training fields. "What you need is a good reason to fight," she concluded, "like me. Tamaraneans cannot use their starbolts without feeling righteous fury."

"Ah yes, your el is powered by your emotions."

"In these challenges, another male could challenge you for this garden as territory, or for me, yes?"

Zadkiel paused, unsure how to respond. "Princess, I do not agree with my people in this respect. You are my friend, not property."

Starfire stood and asked more defiantly, "But they could challenge you for me?"

"Yes," he responded after much hesitation.

"Then you have your reason," she said, matter-of-factly. "I have an idea. Come on."

He was still a bit stunned by the assertiveness she had shown in the matter. But, what other choice did he have? She was right. That did give him more motivation. Starfire stood at one end of the clearing. "I want you to charge at me as you do in those challenges," she said.

He shifted uneasily. "I do not feel comfortable with this," he muttered.

"You are afraid you will harm me?" She was certainly much more confident today.

"Well…"

"Then you underestimate a Tamaranean, and Galfore's not here. You have no reason not to."

He could think of half a dozen reasons not to, but was too nervous to voice them. Instead, he reluctantly took a ready position. He took a deep breath and ran at her. In an instant, he was thrown back. Starfire had not only stopped his charge with only her hands, but had enough force to push him back. She helped him up. "You will have to try again," she said.

This was the beginning of a training that Zadkiel never had before. It started out as occurring every day, but the days soon turned to weeks. Starfire continued to motivate his training. After quite some time, he was able to push Starfire a few yards before her Tamaranean strength slowed him down. She had also worked with his armed, combat practice. While he still had a long way to go as far as making his attacks, he could for the most part, keep up with her boundless agility to at least maintain a solid defense. And the results were showing on the training grounds. While still not as skilled a fighter as his older brother, Zadkiel could at least hold his own. There was hope for him yet, Starfire thought as she watched him. He certainly fought with more determination. So focused on watching Zadkiel, she had not noticed Chief Raguel behind her. His voice startled her. "Your father has made certain I see what your sister can do on the battlefield. Now, I have seen what you can do," he said, rather solemnly. "Yours is not a race to be underestimated." This compliment was rather sudden, and Starfire was unsure how to respond. "Naraka is a harsh and unforgiving planet," he continued, "but a Tamaranean may yet survive."

* * *

 **Jump City, Present**

Ever since she had made Earth her new home, Starfire did make it a regular habit of communicating with Galfore on a weekly basis. Cyborg had arranged a way for her to send transmissions to Tamaran so that she could keep in touch. Originally, the intention was for her to still keep in contact with her family, but lately…

"Still no word," Galfore said, his face only glitching for a moment on the screen. "Kommand'r has been particularly elusive. No unusual movement from our usual foes either."

Starfire let out a small sigh. It was always when her sister was planning that scared her the most. She had come to learn that Blackfire could always see a bigger picture and never let all her cards show at once. But when she was showing no cards at all, that was the time to be afraid. Galfore did not offer empty comforts, knowing too well this would only make her feel worse. "Forgive me, Galfore," Starfire said, changing the subject, "I have not asked how you have been."

"You are missing the five days of Pithorg," Galfore replied. "Though, I imagine you would have a much happier celebration of it on Earth."

Pithorg was the Tamaranean festival of family. It was the rare occasion for Tamaraneans to spend time with their families without the stigma of feeling too close. Tamaranean children actually spent time with their parents and not just their k'norfkas, though it was not all that uncommon for a k'norfka to be included in the festivities. Starfire did not feel too bad missing this holiday. Aside from Blackfire, Galfore, and Galfore's sister, Rulore, she had her new Earth family here. And, the last time she had celebrated Pithorg, it was not on the happiest of occasions. "It is still not Pithorg without you, Galfore" she said, longingly touching the screen. "You are still family. How is Rulore?"

He sighed. "Fine, I suppose. You know how she gets around this time of year, and it does not help that she is missing you too. You, your siblings, and your mother were her world, you know."

Starfire nodded, trying to fight back sentimental tears. "It is not easy when you lose a grodsa'ar."

Galfore only gave her a small smile. "Indeed," he said, "and as she always says, we only get one chance to find our grodsa'ar in life, and she lost hers too soon."

"Oh, now you are going and making me sound like some sentimental old fool," a voice said off screen.

Rulore playfully nudged Galfore over off screen. It had been so long since Starfire had seen her, and she proceeded to bombard Starfire with questions. "Koriand'r, it has been so long! How is Earth? Are you doing well? You look a little thin. Galfore says you have found friends? What are they like?"

She had missed her greatly, and answered all of her questions in stride. It was only when Galfore tried to pull Rulore reluctantly away to let Starfire go back to her life among the Titans that she finally had some quiet to herself, which she did not care for. It brought her back to her worries about Blackfire. "What's a grodsa'ar?" a voice behind her asked.

Cyborg had been eavesdropping for the last bit of her conversation. This took Starfire by surprise. "I don't quite understand that word," he continued, "or maybe my Tamaranean is rusty."

"No," Starfire said, shaking her head, "your skill in my language is not failing. There is just no English equivalent. I think the closest way to describe it is your concept of one with whom you believe you share a soul with."

"Soulmates?" Cyborg said, putting it together. "So wait, your mom was close to, her midwife? And wait, did your dad…"

"It is…complicated," Starfire answered, "and, it is acceptable on Tamaran."

Cyborg shrugged. "Um, sure? Whatever works, I guess."

XxX

One of Archangel's ignited fists missed Robin's head by inches. The two were in the training room, having a sparring session. Robin had given himself some distance to plan another attack, but had to flip on the defensive as a flame burst nearly missed his feet. Robin rushed at him and vaulted for his head. Archangel was quick as he slid low to the ground, avoiding the attack. When Robin landed, he found himself at the receiving end of a hard, bucking kick from one of the Visiri's hooves. Reflexes kicked in though, as Robin caught his kick, turned his leg, flipping Archangel and forcing him to land face first on the ground. "You good?" Robin asked, helping him up.

Archangel stretched his jaw, glad it still worked. "I'm fine."

"In all fairness though, Visiris don't mess around. Just wish I could get Beast Boy to take training this seriously."

"Yes, when Visiri males train, it can be quite…rough, I think is the right word," Archangel agreed.

"Yeah, Starfire might have mentioned that."

"I have much to thank Starfire for. Were it not for her, I would not be much of the warrior I am."

Of course Starfire would have, Robin thought. "Well, let's work on your weak spots. You're used to fighting for your life, and don't really pay all that much attention to technique. Your stance is really open, and leaves a lot of vulnerable spots. Here, try this."

Robin was positioning Archangel's legs when the Titan alarm sounded. They had all gathered before the big screen in the common room. Robin already had a bad feeling. There was one villain who had been a little too inactive lately, and they were due to come back. How he hated thinking like that, but he knew it was still true. "Hello, Titans," a familiar voice purred.

"Slade," Robin said coldly. His jaw was already clenched in frustration.

"Now, now Robin, no need to be uncivil," Slade scolded. "I thought you might be happier to see me."

"What do you want?" Raven asked before Robin could respond and get angry.

"What I want…now that is the question isn't it?" Slade mused, "But perhaps another time. I want nothing, for now. I only stopped by to give you some news." The screen changed from his face to a screen shot of a building. "By now, you know I have a new apprentice. One who listens, has ambitions, is ruthless. I have sent her on a little errand. You see, I have some big plans in the works. However…" The screen changed back to Slade, although his presence was only secondary to the massive device he stood beside. "I have a little side-project I've been working on. You see, this device will completely obliterate the mountains on the east end of the city. Why? Well, that's my little secret. Now, that presents a problem, Titans. Which of the two problems matters more? I'm waiting, Titans. Tik, tok."

The transmission ended. "Well" Cyborg asked, looking to Robin for guidance, "how do we want to divvy this up?"

Robin thought for a moment, a million possibilities buzzing in his head. "Okay, you, Raven and Beast Boy go after Slade. You can figure out how to disarm the device."

Everyone was a little surprised. "You're not going after Slade?" Raven asked.

"No, I'm not giving him the satisfaction of that," Robin replied. "Starfire, Archangel, and I will handle the new apprentice. Remember, Slade always like to direct attention to him, so we miss the real plan."

XxX

Deep in the bowels of Pilgrim Tech, Slade's apprentice finished copying a program and was about to remove her chip. A stray flame barely missed her fingers. "No hard feelings," Robin said as she looked up. "Slade will understand, right?"

She glowered from behind her mask, which was similar to Slade's half black, half orange one, but with a thinner jaw-line. She sprang into action. Just as Archangel was about to blow his horn, she knocked it out of his hands, and gave him a solid kick to the side of his head, knocking him out. Robin wasted no time and quickly went blow for blow with her. She was quick, Robin noted. Slade had taught her well. Though who knew how much was natural ability? Starfire kept overhead, trying to nail their adversary with a starbolt. The apprentice was smart and would make sure Robin was between her and Starfire, preventing her from really letting loose.

In one swift movement, the apprentice picked Robin up and flung him against the wall, hard enough to slow him down anyway. This really sent Starfire into action as she dove on top of the apprentice. This did take her by surprise. The two tumbled about the ground, trying to get the advantage over each other. At one moment, Starfire had her pinned to the ground. She seized the moment, knowing her opponent would fight back and made a grab for her mask. She could not help as a gasp escaped from her lips as strands of long, black hair were revealed. "Blackfire?" she said in shock and disbelief.

"You always did have a habit of ruining secrets," Blackfire smirked as her eyes began to glow.

XxX

Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy arrived at the eastern mountain range to find the area blanketed in wires, all leading to a large device sitting on a plateau. "So, it was real?" Beast Boy stammered. "Usually these things end with the bomb being a fake."

"Oh I can assure you, Titans, it's quite real," Slade taunted from a ledge just above them, "It would seem then that Robin has sent the wrong heroes."

"I think you're just disappointed that Robin saw through this and didn't come to you," Raven said.

"Besides, it's not real until I work at it," Cyborg added.

"Oh, now I can't let you do that," Slade said as he leapt down from the ledge.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven shouted as she made the ground beneath his feet crumble.

Slade's footing slipped only for a second, but he recovered. He grabbed onto the ledge just above his head and swung himself around and back up. "You'll have to do better than that, Titans," he scoffed as he rushed toward Raven.

He was stopped short, though, as Beast Boy, in the form of a mountain lion, pounced on him, knocking him to the side. Beast Boy roared, ready to strike with one of his massive paws. He was surprised when Slade used his free arm and caught him mid-strike. With his feet, Slade managed to push him off, and he landed in a heap. Meanwhile, Raven had disappeared and rematerialized behind Slade. He spun around and gave her a roundhouse kick, knocking her back. Cyborg had been attempting to understand the wiring behind Slade's device. He was busy examining the wires, trying to avoid the fray going on around him. Slade however, now took notice of him. With a powerful dropkick, Slade pushed him away from the wires, and Cyborg skidded down the mountain a bit. "Okay, now I'm mad," Cyborg grunted as he tried to pull himself up.

"Good," Slade purred, "anger makes you worth fighting."

As Cyborg regained his footing, his arm transitioned into a large hammer, which he began to swing down at Slade. The mountain ledge they were standing on began to crack. "Anger makes you foolish too," Slade said, lazily avoiding his attacks.

Cyborg could feel the ground beginning to slip beneath him. "Good thing that was the plan," he said.

Beast Boy swooped into his aid as a pterodactyl and carried Cyborg away, just before the ground crumbled, Slade falling with it. Slade still grasped at the mountainside. "This isn't over," he grunted.

"Looks that way to me," Raven said, standing over him, and sending a small avalanche of rocks down on him.

All three Titans set to trying to figure out how to stop the device. "It would help," Raven began, "if we actually knew what it was supposed to do."

"It's an amplification device of some sort," Cyborg muttered to himself, "but what he plans to amplify, I don't know."

"Do you think he plans to start an earthquake?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Not sure," Cyborg replied. "My scanner says the blast will come _out_ , not _into_ the mountain. Not sure what he's trying to do."

"I'd consider it a clue," said Slade's voice from behind them, "a clue that if you don't solve, could prove disastrous."

Raven was not fazed by the sudden appearance of Slade, and threw up a shield around them. Slade hardly reacted. "That won't be necessary," he said, pulling a small remote from his sleeve.

He pushed the button and the device whirred to life. A beam of white light shot up from it into the sky. For a moment, the three Titans stood in awed silence, watching it. Raven regained focus and was ready to drop her shield. Cyborg and Beast Boy were ready to take the offensive. As soon as she released her shield, Cyborg fired his sonic blast while Beast Boy charged in the form of a ram. "Now for the final test," Slade said, turning up a dial on the remote.

The blast of light increased in power, but it was too much, and the device began to shake. There was a loud boom as the device blasted apart and shattered. The shock wave caused the whole mountain side to shudder and crumble. "As I suspected. I will have to wait until my apprentice returns," Slade thought aloud as he leapt away.

The three Titans were caught up in the rockslide and were nearly buried under a pile of rubble. Beast Boy wasted no time turning into a gorilla and started pulling rubble off of everyone. "Robin's not gonna like this," Beast Boy said, as he helped Raven up.

"Not necessarily," Cyborg added. "Slade said this was clue. Maybe we can solve it before he strikes again."

XxX

Starfire was still processing the fact that not only had her sister returned, but that she was working with one of the worst and most unstoppable villain they had faced. Not only that, they had faced her once and Starfire had not realized it. She had been hiding under their noses for quite some time. She could not process quickly enough, and Blackfire blasted her off with a magenta starbolt. She landed in a heap next to Archangel, who stood, flames at the ready. "You," he growled, his rage increasing.

"I see you're back," Blackfire taunted, "and here I thought my sister had better taste in men. Have you seen her new boyfriend? He's definitely handsome. Oh, that's right. You can't see."

"I can see through you," Archangel replied. "I think that is enough."

At that, he launched himself at her. Blackfire had always been a swift flyer, though not as agile as her sister. Since training with Slade, she had developed her speed skills, and it clearly showed. Archangel did his best to keep up with her. He however, had the edge on maneuverability. He flew underneath Blackfire, increasing his speed, just enough to get ahead of her. Seizing the chance, he grabbed her, and the two engaged in a fist fight. Archangel's fiery punches felt like nothing to Blackfire. Sure, they were warm and stung every so often, but to her durable, Tamaranean body, and Slade's advanced armor, they did next to nothing.

Archangel was clearly becoming more frustrated, and with a howling war-cry, he drew his sword, igniting it with a powerful, wild flame. He swung it at her, but she blocked it. "You're stupider than I thought," she laughed. "Have you forgotten? You don't mess with Tamaraneans." She leaned in closer, almost whispering in his ear, "Besides, you're just a filthy carglaker."

Archangel's ears pinned back, and even more flames rushed on the edges of his sword, burning even hotter. He swung madly now, hardly aiming for her. Then, it happened. In one of his frenzied swings, he cut through the fabric of her outfit and nicked her skin. A single drop of dark, green blood dripped to the ground. Now it was Blackfire who was in a rage. She blasted him back with her eyes and threw starbolt after starbolt at him. He dropped like a rock.

Blackfire was ready to launch a final blow. Suddenly, dozens of smoke bombs exploded near her head. She could no longer see. As the smoke cleared, standing where Archangel had been lying was Robin. "Oh, I'm going to look forward to this," Blackfire said as she dived down towards him.

He rolled so that she only grazed over the top of him. He jumped up, ready to go another round. Robin knew his martial arts were top notch, but Blackfire had been learning with Slade. She had obviously picked up many of his moves, and that was not counting all her Tamaranean combat skills. He could go toe to toe with her, but it was tough. At one point, she tripped him up, grabbed him by the arm, and flipped him, slamming him on his back. "Not so tough now, are you?" she teased, her face only inches from his.

Robin groaned, but managed to pull a grappling hook from his belt and fired it at the ceiling. As it pulled him up and away from her, he launched another one at Blackfire's feet, pulling her with him. At first, she was caught off guard, but she recovered, flying towards Robin and punching him square in the jaw. As he fell, he became tangled in his own ropes and hung there, tied up, hanging upside down. Bright green flames rushed past Blackfire's head as Archangel and Starfire flew at her, powers combined.

Blackfire only smirked and blasted Archangel's wing, knocking him off balance. Starfire struggled to maintain their flight, having to right their center of gravity. Blackfire then grabbed Starfire by the ankle and pulled her down from the sky. Archangel crashed, unable to maintain his flight. It was now Blackfire who had Starfire pinned to the ground. "I already have what I need," Blackfire said, in a dull purr. "I can't waste any more time with you. But don't worry, sister dear. I will have my revenge, and you will suffer."

She blasted a starbolt at Starfire's head, leaving her unconscious. Blackfire then casually strode out, a smug smile gleaming over her face.

XxX

After each of their failures, the team had regrouped back at the tower. "She's been here the whole time, and we never even saw it," Robin said, silently kicking himself.

"We were all fooled into not seeing it," Archangel said, flexing his sore wing.

"If only we could figure out what they were up to," Cyborg added, thinking aloud. "Slade told us that the device was a clue."

Raven was busy healing injuries. "What did you say Blackfire was stealing?" she asked, looking up from healing Beast Boy's wounds.

This brought Robin out of his thoughts. "A computer program," he replied. "Whatever it is, it must fix a problem he had with that device."

Beast Boy sat up. "All it did was shoot some light. Ooh, I'm so scared," he said in a mocking tone. "I mean, how's Slade gonna take over the city with a light show?"

While the others continued to debate and posit theories, Starfire had remained silent. She was still in shock from the sudden realization that Blackfire had been here the whole time. And worse, it seemed that there was nothing they could do to stop her. Twice now, they had failed to catch her, and it seemed with Slade on her side, they would not. Worse still, she knew this was only the tip of the iceberg with her sister. There were always ulterior motives with her. A hand touched her shoulder, snapping her out of it. "Right?" she heard Robin's voice say.

"Hmm?"

"I said, we'll go back through what happened," he replied. "Maybe we can find something we missed."

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, "I know my systems recorded our fight with Slade. I'll upload it to study that device more."

"I'll make some calls to that lab," Robin added. "Maybe I can figure out their plan if I know the program Blackfire copied."

Everyone left, each muttering suggestions. Starfire however, remained, knowing that all the plans in the world could not stop Blackfire when she was determined. But what could they do? They had to do something. Right now though, she could not sort out her own feelings. There was anger there, yes, but it was being buried by an overwhelming amount of pity, sadness, and utter confusion. Overarching all her thoughts was that confusion. The question on her mind was always why, and could she have done anything to prevent it? Guilt was underlying this confusion and she felt that, on some level, she was to blame.

Starfire had always had a strained relationship with her sister. She knew that. And she also knew that part of that was because Blackfire had always pushed everyone away. Yet, Starfire worried that she had not done enough as a sister to help Blackfire. Ever since Blackfire had tried to frame Starfire for her robberies on the Centauri Moons, Starfire had often wondered what went wrong. There were many possibilities. The pressures of being future ruler, the war, the loss of their parents… All of these things could have contributed, but there was always a deeper reason underlying it all, she thought, and that reason was partially her fault.

Starfire decided that the blunt but truthful wisdom of Raven might settle her heart. Raven had made it clear to the boys that her room was off limits. Robin, and to a certain extent, Cyborg respected that request. Beast Boy drifted between periods of being too creeped out to go in, and too curious to resist. Raven however, made an exception for Starfire, most of the time. Starfire had respected Raven's privacy and only ever asked to come in when it was urgent. Plus, she was not as careless as Beast Boy and did not go messing with her artifacts. So when Raven heard a knock followed by Starfire's usual apology for intruding, she was not upset and opened her door. "Something wrong, Starfire?" she asked, tentatively.

"Yes, very much so," Starfire answered in almost a whisper. "I am feeling…conflicted."

"Oh, because of Blackfire," Raven said, putting it together. "Well, sit down, I suppose."

Starfire sat cross-legged on one end of Raven's bed. Raven sat opposite of her. "So, a lot is probably going through your head," Raven began. "Find your center, and try to narrow to it down to one problem."

Starfire took a deep breath. "I do not know what to do," she said at last.

Raven sighed. Yes, Starfire had narrowed it down to one problem, but it was a big one, with no easy answer. Raven had to choose her words carefully. "Starfire, you know me," Raven began, "and you know I don't see violence as always the answer, not like some of the others. But, you've tried reasoning with Blackfire, and it's become clear that she cannot be reasoned with. And Blackfire is not like other villains we've faced. She isn't doing this to get rich or have ungodly amounts of power. She's doing all this to destroy you and your life. That's not exactly a problem you can just talk through."

"Raven are you saying that I should…" Starfire began.

"I'm saying you have no choice now but to fight back," Raven finished. "It's not a great choice. I mean, she's your sister, but right now, it's the only choice you have."

Starfire sighed, "I believe I understand, but I wish there was a third choice."

Raven rarely engaged in physical contact, but this time, she put two reassuring hands on Starfire's shoulders. "We all do," she said.

Starfire felt mildly comforted from her talk with Raven. She knew Robin would be too focused on the case to offer any more wisdom than that Blackfire was just another villain who needed to be treated as such. Beast Boy would mean well and try to diffuse the tension with humor, but Starfire was not in the mood for that. She rarely turned to Cyborg for help on matters such as these, but it seemed worth a shot.

Cyborg was in the garage working on the T-car. There was no purpose to this work. It merely settled his nerves. This usually helped him clear his mind when they had tough losses. He hardly heard Starfire come down. "Cyborg, are you down here?" she asked.

Cyborg banged his head on the hood as he was taken by surprise. "Yeah, I'm down here," he said, rubbing his sore spot. "What's up?"

Starfire still had a hard time with this earthly phrase. "The lights," she said, looking up, "but I wish to speak to you at present."

He could tell she was distressed. "Okay, pass me that wrench over there," he said, still trying to remain focused. "What's wrong?"

"It is Blackfire," Starfire said. "I know this is the last in a series of attempts she has made on our lives, but she is still my sister. Raven says she cannot be reasoned with, and I have to fight her."

"Well, she's right," Cyborg replied.

"But she is family!" Starfire cried. "Is there nothing I can do for her that does not result in us destroying each other?

"Whoa, whoa, that's a little extreme," Cyborg said, trying to calm her, "but, Star, you've done everything you can. At this point, maybe it's time to not think of her as your sister. She certainly has not acted like one to you."

"It was not always that way," Starfire said. "You did not know her before."

"I'm sure," he replied, "but I think the bad outweighs the good here. You've got to cut this negativity out of your life."

"You have done this before?" she asked, sensing he had experience.

"Sort of," he replied, "you see, I never met my dad. According to my mom, he didn't want us in his life. So, she basically pretended he didn't exist. Never even told me his name. As a kid, I was curious, but when I got older…I realized I didn't need him to become a man. He had never been one himself. If he had, he would have been in my life. It's hard, Starfire, but you do feel better when you lose these ties that feel like chains around your neck. You understand?"

"It does not feel right, but yes," Starfire said.

XxX

Starfire stood on the high cliffs to the west of Jump City, overlooking the ocean. High places always comforted her. It made her feel as though she really could soar high over all her problems. The only sound she could hear was waves crashing against the side of the cliff. Yet, she was still a bundle of nerves. She had a deep, uneasy feeling. "Well, this is certainly a treat," she heard a voice say behind her.

"I knew you would come here, Blackfire," Starfire said, not turning around.

"Oh you knew, huh?" Blackfire said, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Yes, you could not resist the opportunity to confront me," Starfire began, "and Robin says it is safe to assume that Slade has means of watching our movements."

"Not bad, sweet sister," Blackfire said in a mocking tone. "So, what is this, an ambush? Your little friends hiding somewhere?"

"No, it is only you and I," she replied. "I did not want them to get hurt. This has always been between the two of us."

"You really are stupid sometimes," Blackfire said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Of all the dumb ideas."

"I wish only to speak with you."

Blackfire's fists radiated with magenta-colored energy. She glowered. "We're done talking." Starfire had her own starbolts at the ready, prepared to go on the defensive. "You think that after all this time, we can just talk and go back to being loving sisters again?"

Blackfire blasted a starbolt at Starfire's feet. She barely missed it. "Please," Starfire pleaded, "I only wish to try-"

"Try?" Blackfire scoffed, beginning to circle her sister, and launching another starbolt. "That's all you've done is try. And you know what? For all your 'efforts' you only succeeded in making my life worse."

"But if you would only-"

Blackfire threw back her head and laughed. "See, that's your idea of trying. I'm the one who has to do something to change. You know nothing about me."

"I want to help," Starfire begged. "You were a good person, a good sister, once. Please, only tell me what is wrong. I will help."

Blackfire seemed to soften. "You…you really want to know what's wrong," she almost gasped. "No one has ever asked me to explain from my point of view."

"I am asking now," Starfire continued, becoming more hopeful. "Please, tell me your feelings. What has caused so much anger?"

Blackfire came closer, tears almost in her eyes. She placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "You want to know the reason?" she asked.

Starfire nodded, hoping progress could be made. "You were born," Blackfire answered as she hit Starfire, point-blank with one of her starbolts.

This completely incapacitated her, and Blackfire threw her over the cliff to plummet to the sea.

Starfire fell, sure to hit the water, and unable to do anything about it. If drowning did not kill her, her sister's last words to her would. Had she really been the problem all along? She was only inches away from hitting the water when she came to an abrupt stop. She looked up weakly, seeing Robin, hanging from his grappling hook, his arm securely around her waist. "Robin?" she barely whispered, still regaining consciousness.

"We would never let you go it alone, Star," he reassured with a wide grin.

Over his head, she could see the rest of her friends fighting Blackfire with everything they had. Archangel zoomed above following Blackfire with an unending stream of fire. He could get into a rage and go into frenzied attacks sometimes, but when he really was in tune with his anger, he was a force to be reckoned with. Every move he made now was swift, purposeful, and highly methodical. His senses were firing on all eight cylinders. He could hear Blackfire's slightest movements and could maintain his aim at her with ease. No one messed with Starfire. That was the only thought keeping him filled with such focus. Blackfire rushed at him, trying anything to stop the onslaught of fire. Archangel never missed a beat though. With one hand trying to follow her with the flames, he used his other to grab his horn. As she got near, he blew into it with every ounce of air in his lungs. The world shook with the powerful sound waves. Blackfire, being incredibly near, lost focus on her own flying as the sound nearly burst her eardrums.

When she fell, she found herself at Raven's feet. "She trusted you," Raven said, anger clearly building up. "She loved you, and you betrayed her."

In that instant, her soul-self leapt from her body and followed a now clearly frightened Blackfire. This soul-self, however, took on a darker, more nightmarish shape as it chased after her. It created a darkness that seemed to swallow everything in its wake. It was only when she looked behind her that she also noticed a black tendril making an attempt to grab her ankle. She darted away before it could snatch her.

She noticed the shadows start to retreat, and she breathed a sigh of relief. However, she ran head-on into a green gorilla. Beast Boy roared, showing all of his teeth and began to slam his fists down, trying to catch her. She caught him once, and that was all it took. She had ahold of his hand and swung him around and onto the ground. Blackfire did not stay to continue the fight, and tried to make a run for it. Beast Boy responded by turning into an elephant and following her. He was determined, and Blackfire was on foot, knowing that between Raven and Archangel, flying was not an option. Thus Beast Boy caught up to her, and pinned her against the walls of the cliffs with his tusks.

Blackfire struggled, knowing that as big as he was, there was little room to escape. What she did not expect was Cyborg, who slid down Beast Boy's trunk, his sonic cannon aimed for her. She ducked quick and made a mad dash underneath Beast Boy's tall legs. Cyborg kept up with her. His cybernetic eye steadied as he took aim and fired a small rocket.

The small projectile sped ahead of her and exploded inches from where she was. She tried changing direction, but more missiles kept her at bay. After enough of them, she found she had been led directly to Cyborg. "We're not as forgiving as Starfire," he said, sternly as he proceeded to throw a punch.

He was running at full strength and then some to keep up with Blackfire's strength. He could hear loud beeps and screeches from his sensors. It was too much pressure. Blackfire finally knew she had caught a break. She was ready to make her move, when a series of smoke bombs went off around them. As the dust cleared, Cyborg had vanished. In the distance was Robin, his staff at the ready. He smirked. "I can't believe you fell for that twice," he said.

She glowered and rushed at him. Robin was just as quick. Every time she got close, he would jump over her and be behind her in less than the blink of an eye. Several times he managed to trip her up. It was only after she hit the ground the third time that she noticed all of the five Titans had her surrounded. She was completely trapped. She knew her options for escape were limited. She braced for an onslaught of attacks when a voice called out, "Stop!"

Starfire stood before them, in front of Blackfire, clearly ready to defend. "Starfire?" Robin said in disbelief. "She just tried to throw you over a cliff. You can't mean you want her to escape?"

"No," she responded quickly, "or yes…or I am not certain. She did try to harm me, but she is my sister."

"Star, I understand, but-" Cyborg began, trying to reason with her.

"Forgive my interruption," she said, stopping him, "but this is something between Blackfire and myself."

"You need our help," Raven added. "She isn't going to give up."

"Yes, I know," she said with a sigh, "but I have not decided what I should do. I want to help. I really do." She looked back at Blackfire, disappointment in her eyes. "That may not be what I can do. Truthfully, I do not know. I need to think about it."

"I can live with that," Blackfire said, as she darted away during this opening.

Raven and Archangel both launched a flurry of attacks. Raven's dark magic and Archangel's flames combined, forming a nightmarish wildfire that followed her as she flew off. Blackfire was faster, and the fire dissipated in the air. She had disappeared.

XxX

Starfire was sitting on the roof of Titan's Tower. Her knees were bunched up to her chest as she stared out at the horizon, watching the sunset. Brushes with death no longer fazed her, but there was still a lot on her mind. She heard the low clack of hooves behind her. "Robin tells me you come up here when you are feeling distressed," Archangel began as he sat down beside her.

"Was I wrong," she asked, "to let her get away, I mean?"

"No," Archangel answered, quickly, "the decision you face right now is not easy. It cannot be made right away."

Starfire's fingers began to fidget. This was a nervous habit she had developed as a child, and only made itself present when she was really upset. "I wish I could understand her," she said. "When I inquired, she said-"

"I know what she said," he said, stopping her. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Please," she almost pleaded, reaching out for his hand.

"I genuinely believe that for Blackfire, there is a deep-seeded jealousy she has with you."

"But what is there to-"

"Think about it. You told me of her past couple of encounters with you. The first, she tried to take you away from your friends. Next, she tried to take you away from your home and your family. She wants something that she thinks only you have: the unconditional love of others."

Starfire began to object, "But our parents-"

"Loved you equally," Archangel finished, knowing what she was going to say, "but differently. Your parents wanted you both to be the best you could be, but expected that more of Blackfire. In all their good intentions though, I believe those expectations made Blackfire feel as though she had to earn their love."

She could see that. She knew there had always been more expected of her sister. She could understand how that must have looked, how that must have felt. "She carried that with her all the time," Archangel continued. "That is why she pushes everyone away. She does not believe anyone can love her as she is. But, that is only what I think."

"What can I do?" Starfire asked, becoming even more unsure.

"You fight back," Archangel replied. "Someone wise once told me that you need a good reason to fight. You have yours. You must defend your life, and ours. But never stop loving her as your sister. That is the one thing I have always admired about you, and that is what Blackfire needs. Maybe, one day, she will understand your unconditional love for her."

The two sat silently for some time, Starfire's fears assuaged for the time being. "There is still one question that troubles me," she said, breaking the silence.

Archangel gave her a quizzical look. "What is that?"

"I know Blackfire," she began. "I know she never works _with_ anyone. She always has to be in charge. She has others work _for_ her, either through deception, or promises, which she will later break."

"So then, what is your question?" Archangel asked again, still confused.

"How long until Slade figures that out?"

XxX

Blackfire had returned from her near-total defeat. She knew Slade was going to rake her over the coals for this one. She entered his lair carefully. "I see you are back from your outing," Slade greeted coldly, not even turning around from his work.

"I suppose you're going to say that was stupid," Blackfire replied, not at all in the mood for one of his lectures.

"Not at all," Slade said, much to her surprise. "It was ruthless, cold-hearted, calculated…"

"I did not prepare for those friends of hers," Blackfire added.

"In your usual recklessness, you did not account for something that should have been obvious," Slade said, "but you did accomplish something. You broke some of your sister's confidence. That will pay off in the long-run."

"So, you're not going to yell at me, or tell me everything I did wrong?" Blackfire asked, still in disbelief.

"I should," Slade replied, now turning to face her, "but I am in such a good mood right now."

He held the cylindrical object she had stolen a while back. "This is a device used to amplify the power generated from natural energies," he explained, "However, as my little experiment today proved, how much energy it could amplify was limited. That's where the little program you stole comes in handy. With it, I've been able to adjust this little machine to withstand an influx of energy on an unimaginable scale, energy such as your starbolts."

He attached the device to her wrist. She looked over it carefully. "This will increase the power of your starbolts ten-fold, better than any gemstone."

Once satisfied after examining it, a pleased smirk came across Blackfire's face. She pointed it at him. "I think we're done here," she said, knowing she now had the upper hand.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm no one's apprentice," Blackfire shouted, "but if that's what I had to let you think to get this far…well, so be it. With this though, you've outstayed your usefulness."

Slade seemed unfazed. "You deceived me, you betray me after everything I have taught you," he said, not letting his anger show. "Impressive. You really are my apprentice."

"I don't think you realize the situation you're in," she said. "I no longer need you. No one does."

Slade heard the whir of the device warming up as a starbolt formed in her fist. She was going to shoot him, point-blank.


	8. Episode 8: Road Trip Pt 1

**Episode 8: Road Trip Pt. 1**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _I think it is fair to say that several of you will hate me after this chapter, but bear in mind, I am not making any major changes…yet. I am only leveling the playing field, so to speak. You'll find out why as you progress in the next several weeks. Just know that a majority of this story has already been pre-written, and everything, plot-wise, is set in stone. Again, still do not own the Teen Titans, and maybe after this episode, you'd like to keep it that way._

 **Naraka, 9 Years Ago:**

"Ready?" Zadkiel called.

"Yes!" Starfire replied.

The two friends had journeyed to the far end of Visirian territory, out in the desert. Starfire's trip to Naraka was nearing its end, but there was still one thing she had always wanted to try. "Remember, grab my shoulders and hold on when you are ready," Zadkiel instructed.

She was excited. In an instant, both began to fly, circling each other. Zadkiel could detect the differences in air pressure against his wings, and knew where Starfire was in relation to him. As they rose higher, their circle became tighter. Starfire could have flown higher and longer than her friend, but knew better of when to draw their flight to a stop. Once she was close enough, she reached out for Zadkiel, wrapping her arms around his neck, and tucking her feet in close to his. She looked up, and saw his half-grin looking back at her.

He turned them upside down and stopped flapping his wings, curling them inward around Starfire slightly. They went into a spinning freefall. This was an exciting rush for Starfire. She had seen several Visiri do this, and wanted to try herself. They were just about to hit the ground when Zadkiel turned them horizontally, and they continued their spin for a few yards more, gliding over the sands. Their flight slowed and they landed gently, laughing all the way. Galfore's shadow eclipsed them as they sat up. "That did look enjoyable," he said with a smile.

"Very much," she giggled as Zadkiel shook the sand from his fur.

Galfore gave her head a pat with one of his gigantic fingers. "We must head back to camp. It is almost time to leave for Tamaran. The Grand Ruler and your sister are probably waiting."

The two children followed Galfore. Starfire's mind drifted as she walked. Throughout their visit, Blackfire's relationship with Zadkiel's brother had not gone unnoticed by her. Initially, despite how much she did not like it, the two did seem to have quite a bit in common. However, over the past few weeks, it had become apparent that both Blackfire and Saraqael were incredibly ambitious. More importantly, they were so ambitious, they seemed to be at odds with each other a lot. This would not bode well for their betrothal, Starfire thought.

Though, very rarely were there happy matches in the arranged marriages of the Tamaraneans. Starfire had to admit, even her own parents, though good friends and they did deeply respect each other, did not share romantic feelings between them. They were one of the lucky ones though. They at least could get along. Starfire had always heard the rumor that her father's parents had one of the unhappiest marriages imaginable. She looked over towards Zadkiel, making her wonder.

She did not have too much time to think about it, though. Zadkiel's ears perked and before he could call out to her, the winds around them kicked up, howling furiously. Sand whipped around her, so much so, she could no longer see her friend, or her guardian. Thankfully, it was Zadkiel who found her. He wrapped his arms around her. Stay close!" he shouted over the winds.

Starfire's grip around his neck tightened. His wings sprung from his back and encircled her, not without some difficulty. She heard him groan after hearing a loud pop. That could not be good. Zadkiel laid them down on the ground, trying to stay low. He kept himself on top of her, taking the brunt of the storm. She shuddered with fear. "It's only a sandstorm," he said, "We will be fine. Just, do not let go."

She still could not open her eyes. The sands still stung as they beat about her face. She focused only on her grip on Zadkiel. It felt as though her nails were boring holes in his neck, she held on so tight. He knew of only one other way to comfort her. He ignited his hands, only enough to give his hands a warm touch as he ran them up and down her back. Starfire had learned, from her stay on his planet, that Visiri had very few ways of showing physical affection, not at all like on Tamaran. This warm touch, generated by his natural abilities, was one of these ways, and she had grown quite fond of it. So, despite the desert heat, it really did make her feel better.

After quite a bit of time, the winds slowed, and the two were finally able to get up. As his wings pulled back, Starfire could see one wing had the end bent at a wrong angle. That must have been the pop she had heard. The wind must have caught it when he first opened it. "Zadkiel," she said with a gasp, "your wing."

He shrugged it off. "It need only be set. It is not the first time it has broken."

He winced a little, though, as he brought them back into his back. He stood, listening for any signs of Galfore. As he turned, Starfire saw dozens of tiny scratches across his back where the stinging sand shad hit him while protecting her. A few had tiny beads of blood dripping from them. She reached out to him. "Here, let me…"

"It is fine," Zadkiel reassured. "It happens all the time with these sandstorms."

"There you two are!" Galfore said, breathing a sigh of relief as he got near. "Thank X'hal you are both unharmed. Come, we must move on."

He scooped each one up in his arms and proceeded back to the main camp. Dusk had set upon the land as they finally approached. Emperor Myand'r had a worried look upon his face. "I had been concerned you were lost," he said in a sigh of relief.

"A sandstorm halted us for a time," Galfore replied. "We are unharmed. Well, for the most part."

He set down Starfire and Zadkiel. Chief Raguel was rather stoic and hardly responded. Emperor Myand'r was slightly more concerned. "Your son is aware of how dangerous those sandstorms are out there?" he asked the chief, with a hint of reproach in his voice.

This did not go unnoticed by the chief. "Yes," he replied, trying to hide his outrage, "and more importantly, he knows how to survive them. Your daughter was unharmed."

The emperor would not let up. "They could have gotten lost," he pressed. "If the sands had blown them off course, they might have ended up in the territory of your enemies. He should have thought about-"

"'Lost' is not a word that boy knows the meaning of!" Chief Raguel roared. "He may be too blind to be of any other use, but if there is one thing I know about him, it is that he always has a way to know where he is. And as to thinking, that is all he ever does. I would wager he put more thought into your daughter's safety than you have this whole stay."

This set the emperor off, and he was about to interject when Galfore stepped in. "We really must be leaving, your majesty," he said, knowing when to choose his battles.

Starfire only looked at Zadkiel. He had the same look of shock she did. Not only had the chief spoken in such a way to the emperor, but had also defended Zadkiel. It was incredibly unheard of. She did not even get the chance to say goodbye before she left with her family. He heard them leaving, standing beside his father. He was actually overjoyed at this unusual turn of events with his father. "You really meant all of that?" he asked timidly.

Chief Raguel turned on him suddenly and gave him a light knock upside the head. "What were you thinking?" he shouted, "Those troqs are what's going to get us real power, and you take that girl out in the desert."

"But you said-"

"I was not going to let that pompous idiot call you stupid," he scoffed. "It was only a matter of my image."

With that, Chief Raguel stormed off. Zadkiel rubbed the sore spot on his head. He wondered why he had even considered that his father would have felt anything for him other than disdain. He sighed. Things would never change.

* * *

 **Jump City, Present**

A golf ball soared, and then plopped on the ground, rolling onto the edge of the green. "Yes!" Cyborg said. "This has been a perfect day; good game, peace and quiet, the sun's out…"

"There's a dead bird on the fairway," Raven interrupted. "Yeah, today's been perfect. Why did I let you talk me into this again?"

Beast Boy was lining up a shot. "Because it's been slow this week and we're running out of stuff to do," he answered, grimacing as his ball sliced into out-of-bounds territory.

"It hasn't been that bad," Cyborg said, his optimism not waning. "Starfire's had some killer drives, you know, once she toned back her shot a bit."

"Pretty sure that first shot's still in orbit," Robin said.

"And you've been great at putting," Cyborg said, still trying to cheer Raven up.

"I dunno," Beast Boy teased, "I'm pretty sure I heard some spells being muttered on the green."

Raven shot him a ferocious look. "I appreciate your many attempts to include me in your leisure activities," Archangel said, as he sat in the shade of the golf cart, "but this is just not a game I was meant to join."

Cyborg waved him off. "Please, it's just like a piñata. We point you in the right direction, and you're fine."

"Look, I'm just as glad as anyone that there aren't any serious threats to deal with right now," Robin added, "but shouldn't we be trying to make a productive use of our time?"

"Ugh, not more paperwork," Beast Boy whined. "This is like a vacation for us. We should do vacation stuff."

Cyborg was walking down the fairway when it hit him. "That's it!" he exclaimed.

"What?" the others asked simultaneously.

Cyborg was searching through the emails on his computer arm. "Bee sent me something the other day," he replied, though only half-listening to them. "Here it is! Since there are so many Titans now, they want to host an annual Titan's conference. It'll be fun. We'll get to see our friends, have a little fun, and yes, Robin, talk about actual work."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Where is it being held?" he asked, still unsure.

"New Orleans!" Cyborg said, excitedly. "C'mon, this will be a great way to use our time."

Robin mused over it for a couple of minutes. "Okay, fine," he said at last, "this will be a nice break, while not totally neglecting our duties. When is it?"

"Week from Friday," Cyborg said, scrolling down.

"I suppose that works," Robin thought aloud. "That'll give us until Thursday to get ready."

Cyborg began to fidget nervously. "I was actually thinking that maybe we could drive there instead of using the T-ship," he said.

"Why?" Robin asked. "That means we would be away from the city that much longer."

Cyborg prepared his defense. "I was just thinking we could make a road trip out of this," he began. "I used to do that all the time with my grandparents when I was little. We'd go all over the country."

"Oh, this trip on the road does sound most enjoyable," Starfire beamed, hovering excitedly.

"It only sounds fun for the first fifteen minutes," Robin explained. "Trust me, that much time alone together in a car is going to get on our nerves."

"There's more to it than that," Cyborg argued, practically begging, "All the local hotspots for food, the sights…"

"The boredom, the being cramped in a car like sardines for hours on end, the car sickness," Raven said. "Oh yeah, sign me up."

"I'm game," Beast Boy said. "I never got to see much even though I traveled all over with the Doom Patrol."

"Archie, what about you?" Cyborg said. "You know you want to…"

"I have never had such an experience," he replied. "So, I suppose I have no objections."

"So, let's see," Cyborg said, counting, "there's me, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Archie all in favor of this trip. I think that's majority rules."

Cyborg had a big cheesy grin on his face, knowing he had him there. Robin rolled his eyes, mulling it all over. "Fine," he said, "we'll drive, but don't complain when I turn out right. We'll have to start packing tonight, and leave first thing in the morning."

"Aw yeah! Road trip!" Cyborg whooped, giving a celebratory high-five to Beast Boy.

Raven and Robin rolled their eyes. If anything, this was going to be a long trip. Might as well let them enjoy their enthusiasm, they thought.

XxX

They had indeed left first thing in the morning. Cyborg had been so excited to go on this trip, he insisted they leave at the crack of dawn. As such, the start of their trip had been rather quiet. Raven had opted to take the first shift as navigator, and sat in the front, beside Cyborg. Archangel snoozed in the back. Robin did the same, his head resting on Starfire's shoulder as she held his hand, watching the scenery out the window. Beast Boy was squished sitting in the middle of everyone, pouting. "Awful quiet back there, B.B," Cyborg said, trying to make conversation. "Everything okay?"

"I'm hungry," he whined.  
"You don't see anyone else complaining," Cyborg retorted.

"Cause they're all too tired," Beast Boy said with a yawn, "You had us leave with hardly any sleep."

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy through the rearview mirror. "Look, I'm already looking for a place to stop for breakfast as we speak. That's the fun of a road trip. Eating at local places."

Beast Boy groaned and shoved Archangel off of him as he leaned on the changling, beginning to snore. Raven was enjoying the rare moment of peace and quiet. She glanced at the map once more to ensure they were still on the right track, and then settled into her latest tome. For now, things were perfect, though if Beast Boy kept up the complaining, it would be a long trip. Of course, Cyborg would not see it. He was too busy seeing this trip through rose-colored lenses.

That silence did not last long before Cyborg spoke up. "I used to do this sort of thing almost every summer with my grandparents," he said to no one in particular, his mind clearly elsewhere. "They liked to go see the country, and made sure I went with them. I got to see a lot of amazing places back then. I can still remember my grandfather driving, singing along to the old Motown station they'd listen to in his old Estate. Grandma would always pick the sights we got to see, the restaurants, the motels… You know, no matter where she picked to go, grandpa always could get there. It was like he knew every road."

He sighed wistfully, remembering. Raven had only been half-listening. He would stop and start talking so many times, she had read the same sentence three times. Starfire had been quietly listening in the back. "Cyborg, did your mother ever accompany you on these trips on the road?"

"Nah," he said with a shrug, "mom was always working. Summer was always busy for her. And…well, I told you I never actually knew my dad. So, I guess my grandparents were like my k'norfkas. Did I say that right? I don't know if that word has a plural."

"It does not," Starfire corrected, "but I understand."

"I wonder," Cyborg thought aloud as he switched the radio to FM.

After quite a bit of tuning, he finally found and oldies station playing the tunes his grandparents loved. Static underlay the whole station, as cackles and pops interrupted the songs every few seconds. Raven decided to give up and shut her book. It was not long before they passed a sign for a place called Maude's Diner. "There we go," Cyborg exclaimed, cheerfully. "Perfect stop for breakfast."

With that, the T-car pulled in front of a simple, but worn building that looked like it had seen better days. It had never occurred to the Titans that very few people outside of the major cities had ever seen superheroes. However, this soon became apparent when they stepped into the diner, into the gawking stares of the locals. The room was deathly silent. "Are they starring at us?" Archangel whispered. "I get the feeling they are starring at us."

Raven looked over at him. "Well, you're kind of hard to miss," she whispered back.

"Dudes, we all are," Beast Boy said, smiling nervously.

The six awkwardly crammed into a booth built for four. Not like there were too many options. The middle-aged, portly waitress eyed them all suspiciously before taking their orders. To the Titan's surprise, Starfire's unusual tastes did not elicit the usual shock out of the waitress, but rather a sideways glare. After the initial awkwardness, normal conversation resumed among the locals.

"This food is certainly delicious," Starfire commented as they ate, "but it feels much heavier in my stomachs."

"That's the copious amounts of grease places like this are famous for," Raven replied.

"Best part," Cyborg added between mouthfuls of bacon and eggs.

"Debatable," Raven retorted, rolling her eyes.

Beast Boy, meanwhile, was up at the counter, arguing with the cook. "Look man," he said, "I asked for the vegetarian omelet. Does this look vegetarian? There are real eggs, and ham. I think you gave me the wrong order."

The large gorilla of a man that was the cook, remained emotionless. In fact, the only movement that came from him was a slight twitch of his eyebrows, and he twisted the cigar around in his mouth. Slowly, he reached down below the counter and then tossed a sprig of parsley on the dish. "There, vegetarian," he grunted.

Beast Boy was ready to object. "Uh…"

The cook followed that up by slamming a meat cleaver on the counter. "Uh, it's perfect," Beast Boy said, backing down from the fight and sitting back down.

He sighed. "Look, if you're not going to eat it, I will," Cyborg said. "I've got some granola bars in the car, so you won't go hungry."

"Fine," Beast Boy said, sliding his plate over towards Cyborg. He had been hoping for a more substantial meal.

Thankfully, the rest of breakfast had been uneventful. Cyborg checked the time as they were walking back to the T-car. "Looks like we'll make good time for our first stop of the trip," he said.

Robin was ready to head him off there. "Oh no, no stops," he began. "We are doing this trip for the convention, not to see the biggest ball of yarn."

"Such a wonder exists?" Starfire asked, excitedly.

Robin groaned, knowing it was a mistake to even bring it up. "No," he replied, "I mean, I don't know, but we're not making silly stops like that."

"It's not silly," Cyborg objected, "and that's not our stop. Trust me, it's even better."

It was near dusk as the Titans crossed the California border. "We'll get to our stop tomorrow," Cyborg said. "If memory serves, I think there's a nice little motel up a ways."

Robin was up front, consulting the map. Beast Boy had perked up since breakfast and was now in a more humorous mood. "Oooh, a motel," he said, taunting Raven who was sitting beside him. "Maybe it's one of those creepy, run-down ones in the movies. You know, the ones on the side of the road run by serial killers with obsessions for their mothers, and then they start to pick us off one by one."

Raven tried to shove him away. "Don't even go there tonight," she warned. "I'm in no mood for it."

"What's the matter, you scared?" Beast Boy teased.

Raven slowly turned to face him, her glare only deepening. "You've seen me scared," she replied. "Don't tempt me."

This seemed to silence Beast Boy for the time being. Although when they did finally reach the motel, Beast Boy's description was not too far off. The sign still barely clung to the pole. The parking lot was lined with craters and pot holes, and the paint was peeling off the side of the building. God forbid, what the inside looked like. "Hmm, seems to have aged a bit since I last came here," Cyborg said to himself. "No matter. Still has its old-fashioned charm."

The others only stared at him. He was not serious, was he? Sure, he was in a nostalgic state, but he could not be that delusional. As they were checking in, Beast Boy caught up to them, eagerly bouncing on the balls of his feet. "This place at least has a pool," he said, excitedly, grabbing Archangel by the arm. "Archie and I are going to check it out."

"Wait-" Archangel tried to object before he was dragged off.

"Whatever," Robin replied, waving them off. At least that kept Beast Boy out of the way and from doing anything stupid while they were checking in.

"What do you mean you only have one room?" Cyborg asked in disbelief. "There wasn't a car in this parking lot. Everything can't be booked."

The thin, little clerk at the counter only shook his head. "My apologies," he said, "but we are indeed full, and the next stop is quite a distance."

Cyborg mulled it over for a second, then sighed. "Fine, but do you have any rollaway beds?"

He paid the man, who eagerly took the cash. "I might have something," he muttered.

No one was really surprised to find that the small room indeed lived up to the expectations set by the outside of the building. Raven noticed that the carpet squished a little every time someone walked. Starfire tried turning on one of the lights, but it kept flickering too much, and it became annoying. And Robin would not even speak of the horror that was in the bathroom. Raven pressed a finger against the bed. It turned out to be a water bed. Classy, Raven thought to herself, sighing. Beast Boy and Archangel returned shortly, both dripping wet. "Y'all have fun?" Cyborg asked.

"No," Beast Boy said, "some goons pushed us in the Jacuzzi."

"Oh no, no, and no, you two are not coming in here like that," Raven said.

"Oh come on," Beast Boy groaned, "what's wrong now?"

"You are not coming in here, smelling like that," Raven scolded, "I don't know what was in that hot tub, but now you smell like wet dog." She was looking at Beast Boy when she said this, but soon turned on Archangel. "And you smell like wet…something."

"What are we supposed to do?" Beast Boy said, "We're not sleeping outside."

"Just air out for a minute, ok?" Robin suggested, trying to prevent an inevitable fight, "Stay out for an hour."

Cyborg tossed him the keys. "There's some towels in the trunk too," he said, but then glared at Beast Boy. "Don't, for a minute, even think about turning on the car."

XxX

"Check it, another breeze coming in," Beast Boy said, hopping off the hood of the T-car. He and Archangel stood opposing the wind, letting it run through their fur and hair, trying to dry off. The breeze did not last long, though. "Trip's been a bit of a bummer," Beast Boy said, sitting back down.

Archangel shrugged. "Cyborg seems to be enjoying himself. Besides, you are the only one who has run into misfortune."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Beast Boy grumbled. "Look, I'll put on a brave face for Cyborg since this is totally a nostalgia trip for him, but never again. Hey, I got an idea! How 'bout some tunes?"

Beast Boy ran to the driver's seat. Archangel bolted up, already sensing it was a bad idea. "Cyborg told us specifically not to turn on the car," he warned.

Beast Boy had already turned the key, just enough to turn the electronics on. "Relax, all he cares about is that I don't drive it. There's nothing wrong with just turning it on for a little radio." He was already turning the dial, trying to find anything that would reach them this far out in the middle of nowhere. He finally found a station, though not of his tastes. "Hmm, not much for oldies, but it's better than nothing," he said, coming back out to sit on the hood of the car.

The sun had fully set and the stars were out and bright. Beast Boy sighed wistfully as the radio changed tunes. "Hey, I remember this one," he said, his mind clearly elsewhere. "My mom used to sing it to me when I was little. I never really understood how sad that song was until I was older. Funny how that kinda thing works, huh?" He hummed along to the song for a few seconds. "My parents always liked folk music. It's pretty relaxing."

Archangel shifted his seat on the hood of the car. "You have never spoken much about your parents. Or the Doom Patrol, really. Robin said that was an organization you were part of."

Beast Boy bristled hearing the name of his former team. For a long time, they had been his family, but there were still some unresolved issues he did not want to revisit at the moment. But he could not help but think of his parents. "I lost my parents when I was real small," was all he said, still listening to the soulful song. "Not like many of us talk about our parents anyway. Robin hardly remembers his, Raven has…dad issues, and Star won't tell us what happened to hers. Cyborg's the only one who mentions his mother, but not often." He threw his hands behind his head and sighed, gazing up at the stars. "I used to travel the world with mine. I saw it all, pretty much. I used to love it because they'd let me help, even if I was little. I got to meet all sorts of animals. Monkeys were my favorite."

"They sound like they really loved you."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said with a smile, "they did. I guess you didn't get a lot of that. Star says your dad…"

"He was not fond of me, no," Archangel finished. "My mother was at least kind. My people do not express affection all that often. I do not know how they felt about me. I suppose it is of no consequence. They are both gone now."

"Sorry," Beast Boy said, not sure how to comfort him, or even if he should. "I know you said your brother killed your dad, which is messed up."

"It is tradition," Archangel said solemnly.

"Uh, sure. So, what happened to your mom?"

"She died shortly after my father did. I suppose it was heartbreak."

Beast Boy made a face. "Your dad sounded like such a piece of work. How did she…"

Archangel smiled to himself. "I honestly don't know, but then they always say that the mating of Visirians is hotter than the desert sands itself. Perhaps there is something to that."

"Well, hey," Beast Boy teased. "Girls always dig the pointy ears, and we pointed-ear hotties got to stick together."

Archangel burst into a fit of laughter at the ridiculousness of the comment. "I needed that, Beast Boy," he said. "Come on, we need to get in. It is getting dark and cold."

The arrangement was that Starfire and Raven would share the one bed in the room. This was fine for Raven, until it dawned on her that Starfire liked to sleep upside down, with her head hanging over the foot of the bed. Though, given the state of the squishy carpet, Starfire opted to sleep in a more human position, despite the discomfort. Robin took the spare trundle bed the staff had brought. Unfortunately, it was only big enough for one. Cyborg propped himself up in the one grungy chair, next to the only outlet that worked for his charger. Archangel and Beast Boy were left with the floor. "Trust me," Cyborg said as he got settled. "You're going to be glad we went on this trip when you see what I have planned for tomorrow."

"This floor feels rather unsanitary," Archangel said.

"Trust me, the bathroom's worse," Robin replied, terror in his voice. "I'm not sure what's living in there, but I'm pretty sure it laid eggs.

XxX

Everyone was more than glad to next morning. The sun was already up and the temperature was already creeping up pretty high. "C'mon Cyborg," Robin begged, "would you just tell us where we're going already?"

"No, and that's why Starfire's navigating this leg," Cyborg said, shutting the trunk. "She's not familiar enough with places yet to know the significance of where we are going."

Mile after mile of dry Arizona desert went by, the heat only getting worse. Starfire was really the only one unaffected, and Cyborg was too excited to care. Eventually, they did reach their destination by midday. "Wow," was all they could say.

"Yup, I remember my first trip to the Grand Canyon," Cyborg said with a smirk, knowing he had really surprised them.

Cyborg had convinced them all to spend the day there, since they had the extra time. Everyone was rather enjoying the stop. Beast Boy looked over the edge of some old railing. Raven was reading a book of facts about the site. "It says that it's just over a mile from here to the bottom," Raven read.

"Cool!" said Beast Boy, leaning out a little farther. "That means I can say I've spit a mile."

He started to rear back to spit. Raven, without taking her eyes off her book, grabbed him by his collar, and pulled him back. "Don't you dare," she warned.

Beast Boy crossed his arms and pouted, secretly wishing he had never said that. Archangel sat on an open ledge. There were several of them to be found in the area. He was letting the desert wind whip through his hair, thinking. Ever since returning from Naraka, and now after his conversation with Beast Boy, he had been solemn like this. None of his teammates were sure why. He touched the spot on his palm where a wound was still healing. This was where he had cut his hand open as a blood offering to the ancestors when he had descended into the tomb of the chiefs of old. He sighed. He heard someone come up behind him. "This place is beautiful," he heard Starfire say as she sat beside him, "I can understand why humans ascribe so much meaning to it."

"Yes," Archangel agreed, only half listening, "although, I cannot even begin to imagine its vastness."

He sighed, his mind clearly elsewhere. "What is wrong, Archie?" Starfire asked, sensing it.

Archangel rubbed the place on his hand as he replied, "All those years I tried to avoid becoming my father. Now, I fear that it still came true."

"It did," Starfire responded.

Archangel was startled by this response. These were not the words of comfort he was expecting. Then again, he was not surprised either. She had only confirmed his fears. Starfire continued, "You are his son. A part of him will always stay with you. You are some of the best parts of him though. You're brave, you're loyal, and yes, you are a fierce fighter, but you have a better control over these tendencies. He would be proud of you now."

Archangel almost laughed. "Proud? I could never think of my father feeling anything but disappointment in me."

She scooted over closer to him. "That's not true," she said. "There were times when he defended you. He must have cared for you."

He could not meet her gaze. "It looked like that, but you never always saw him after that. Trust me, my father had no love for me."

She put her hand over his. "I cannot believe that," she said. "I cannot believe in my heart that any father would not love their child, at least a little. Maybe he never showed it, but I believe he must have cared."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Archangel said nothing, but opened his wings, wrapping hem around Starfire, glad for the company. The sun was starting to set, and Beast Boy flew overhead as an eagle. It was a peaceful moment. Robin could not help but notice the two of them sitting together. He had come a long way in trying to curb his uncertainty of Archangel. Yet, now he could not help but feel a pang of uneasiness. Robin still trusted Starfire. It was just Archangel he was having trouble trusting.

XxX

They still had a ways to go before nightfall, and Cyborg had decided to do the unthinkable: he had decided to let someone else take a turn at the wheel to give him a break. The problem was that Cyborg and Robin were really the only ones with experience. He was incredibly leery about trusting his baby with anyone else, and ignored the pleas of Beast Boy to take a chance. But he knew that on a long trip like this, it just was not feasible. At the moment, he was getting Raven through the process. "Okay, you've gotten through the inspection," Cyborg instructed. "Now, put it in drive."

"Thank goodness," Beast Boy yawned. "Was a twenty minute inspection necessary? Besides, Raven's driven a bus before."

"Yeah, well, rules of the road were out the window when that happened," Raven added.

"Alright, now merge onto the highway," Cyborg said.

So far, so good, Cyborg thought. It was starting to get pretty dark, but thus far, Raven proved fairly careful. "You know what would be awesome?" Beast Boy said suddenly. "We're getting close to Nevada. I've always wanted to see Area 51."

Robin only looked at him. "We wouldn't be allowed to get that close. And considering we have two otherworldly beings with us, you don't think that's not just a little bit offensive?"

"I'm not gonna turn them in or anything," Beast Boy replied, thinking, "but wouldn't it be hilarious to get a picture of Archie and Starfire in front of it?"

No one seemed to agree. "Uh, Cyborg," Raven said, disrupting the conversation, "what's that up ahead?"

Two small, glowing orbs stood in the middle of the road. "Aliens!" Beast Boy squealed.

This sudden outburst caused Raven to veer off, rather than stop. The next thing they knew, they rumbled off the road, bouncing across the desert. Raven tried to stop, but the momentum led them down a hill. The best she could do was swerve enough to avoid hitting some big rocks. They only screeched to a stop just before hitting a rather large boulder.

Everyone was silent, almost as if merely breathing would cause them to move again. For a while, all that could be heard was Archangel's teeth chattering as he held a firm, death-grip on the passenger seat in front of him. Raven was at a loss for words. "Cyborg, I-I'm sorry I meant to…" she tried to blurt out.

Cyborg took a deep breath and slowly released his fingers from the dashboard, very well imbedded groove marks being revealed. "It's okay," he said, as calmly as he could muster. "We're fine. At worst, I think you wore out the brake pads a little."

Everyone was a little surprised with how well he was handling it, waiting for an outburst, or at the very least, inconsolable sobbing for his "baby." Instead, he slowly got out of the car to inspect the damages without a word. There were a few dings and nicks from loose rocks, and the treads on what were brand-new tires were almost worn away. That would cost a good chunk of change. It was only now that Cyborg began to curse and shout. The rest of the team, sitting in the car, only heard a muffled version of the colorful language and watched him blow off a little steam by throwing a few boulders. Raven turned on Beast Boy. "Aliens? Really?" she snapped.

"Uh…" Beast Boy began, readying a defense.

"That was probably a coyote's eyes reflecting in the headlights," Robin offered up. "You didn't have to overreact, Beast Boy."

"But…"

"No, you distracted me," Raven said, clearly not finished. "Do you ever think before you say or do anything? No! You just do, and get us into messes like this."

This seemed to shut Beast Boy up, who was clearly hurt. Raven was still fuming. "At least that was a better go at driving than Starfire," Robin said, trying to clear the tension. Though the slight glare from Starfire made him backpedal a little bit. "No offense, but you do have a lead foot."

"It did take that cop a while to catch up," Raven added, though her tone had not changed. "Pretty sure that's going to end up on the news tonight."

"Probably," Robin laughed, "though did you have to curse at him in Tamaranean? I think we could've all done without the full-body searches."

"He was being very rude," Starfire replied, "and he would not specify what it was he thought was in my possession to require a search of the vehicle."

Beast Boy was still sulking, much as he would have liked to contribute. Cyborg presently returned to the car, and opened Raven's door. Taking this as a sign, she got out and moved to the passenger's seat. Cyborg seemed to have regained his composure. "Okay, safe to say we're calling it a night," he said after taking a deep breath. "Let's just find a place to stay the night, and start fresh tomorrow."

That was easier said than done. As they neared the next city over, traffic became a mess, hardly moving in either direction. Cyborg honked the horn angrily. "C'mon!" he hollered. "What's the hold up here?"

"Uh, dudes, am I the only one who understands?" Beast Boy asked rhetorically. "It's spring break. Betcha this is all the traffic headed for Vegas."

"Terrific," Raven muttered. "Just what we needed."

Robin looked out his window at the groups forming on the side of the road. "Looks like a few have already given up on getting anywhere tonight," he said. "Some of the spring break festivities seem to have already started."

"Wonderful," Cyborg huffed as he shifted into park. He looked up ahead. "There may be a cop up ahead. Archie, Beast Boy, go ask them if there's a way around all the traffic."

Raven was still refusing to speak to Beast Boy. He was therefore fairly eager to give her space. "Will do," he said, grabbing Archangel's arm.

"Well, we might as well get some sleep in the car," Cyborg said, plugging himself into the car. "I'm going to try and take a power nap. Star, can you let me know if anything starts moving again?"

She nodded, and both he and Raven leaned back in their seats, trying to rest. She actually liked the quiet right now. She was busy looking up at the stars through the window. It was never completely dark enough in Jump City to see the stars. True, all the car lights kept her from seeing everything, but it was still nice to finally see the night sky from Earth's perspective. She had been so busy with that, she screamed a little when Beast Boy and Archangel knocked on the window. Beast Boy clearly had a black eye. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"Some dumb college kids jumped us," Beast Boy explained. "I don't think they knew exactly what they were doing, but we managed to tick them off somehow. One gave me this." He pointed to his black eye.

"A couple of others managed to take my warhorn," Archangel finished.

"So then, no directions, I take it?" Cyborg asked, a little disappointed. "Well, get in, I guess. We'll just have to figure it out as we go."

"No way, dude!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "We came to get you guys to help us."

"We are not leaving without that warhorn," Archangel said.

Cyborg groaned. "Fine."

All of them piled out of the car. Cyborg debated for a moment about leaving it, but eventually locked it, knowing friends come first. "So, do you guys remember anything about these kids?" Robin asked.

This gave both boys pause. "Uh…well, hmm,' Beast Boy stammered. "It was all kind of a blur."

"Agreed," Archangel said, guiltily. "I do not remember their scents."

Robin sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. Of course he had to be the only detective in the group. They were useful, but they would not have made the cut in Gotham, so to speak. "Alright, split up," he said. "Can't be too hard to find them."

Raven had not been searching around the crowds long, when she spotted Starfire, surrounded by a small crowd of college-aged men. She sighed before she marched over. "Oh, Raven," she greeted her, "these young men have offered their assistance."

"Not the kind of assistance you're thinking of," Raven said, turning on the boys. "And all of you, should be ashamed of yourselves. Come on, Starfire."

Raven did not bother to listen further and proceeded to drag Starfire away. One of the boys, with a dumbfounded look, turned back to his friends and said, "I was only going to tell her I saw a couple of guys matching her description go that way." He was pointing in the opposite direction Raven was leading her.

Beast Boy had been soaring over the crowd as a small bird. He landed near Robin. "Anything?" Robin asked expectantly.

Beast Boy shifted into human form. "Nothing," he sighed.

Robin looked around, knowing that height was their disadvantage as neither he nor Beast Boy could see over the heads of the crowds on their own. "Keep looking," Robin said. "The sooner we find them, the sooner we get back on the road."

Robin proceeded to vault over several guitar amps nearby and shimmy up a makeshift tent. Beast Boy followed behind in the form of a spider monkey. A couple of kids looked in awe. "Dude, you did see that green dude turn into a monkey, right?" one said, a glazed look in his eye.

"Yeah, weird right?" said another.

"Wicked…"

Archangel was struggling to navigate through the crowds. He had already run into several people accidently. "Don't you have Dungeons and Dragons to play?" a girl huffed after he had accidently stepped on her foot. "Geek."

He sighed, not having much luck. Cyborg tapped him on the shoulder. "I think my scanner picked up something made of bone," he said. "C'mon."

They found the two, using the horn as a type of funnel. Cyborg could already tell what was going on. "Uh, you're not going to like this, Archie," Cyborg began.

Archangel barely listened, his nostrils already filled with an odor which made him gag. Nevertheless, he marched over. The two goons, and their friends were already counting as their drinking games ensued. "45…46…47," they chanted.

The current participant never got a chance to finish. Archangel grabbed him by the shirt collar, grabbing the horn, and dumping the contents out. "You have insulted my people," he growled. "One is not simply given a horn such as this. I had to hunt a dikrarn on my own, cut its horns from its head, and burn off the excess flesh before I could hollow it out. Do you know what burning dikrarn flesh smells like?"

The college student, quaking a little, offered no more than a few unrecognizable syllables in response. Archangel released him, and coolly strode away. "So, what does burning dikrarn flesh smell like?" Robin asked.

Archangel gave a small smile. "No different than your Earthly bacon, but he did not know that," he said. "Ugh, my horn smells of fermented grains and regurgitated stomach contents."

"Yup, sounds like spring break to me," Cyborg responded. "Don't worry, a couple of washes and it'll be fine. Well, car's still here. That's a good sign."

The Titans piled into the car, but it did not start. What the…?" Cyborg exclaimed. "Battery's dead."

The Titans trudged along the side of the road, Starfire carrying the T-car. "Who needs roadside assistance when you've got Starfire?" Beast Boy laughed.

"Watch it, grass stain," Cyborg said. "I just know you and Archie did something the other night. Left the radio or the lights on, or something."

"Beast Boy was the one who turned on the radio," Archangel accused.

"Way to throw me under the bus," Beast Boy grumbled.

"I do not understand. I do not see any bus," Starfire said.

"Not the time for this, Starfire," Raven said in frustration.

"Look, either way, this is going to put us behind," Cyborg said, getting back on topic. "Who knows how long before we find a mechanic and how long it will take them to fix it."

"Relax, we had a few extra days planned into this trip anyway," Robin said, brushing it off. Normally, he would agree, but somebody needed to keep Cyborg calm. "Look, we've had a rocky start, but we'll get on the road, and be fine."

XxX

The next couple of days, spent getting a new battery for the T-car and driving through Texas, were passed in relative silence. Raven was still fairly mad at Beast Boy. Her silence was only broken when she had finally had enough of Beast Boy teaching Starfire annoying road games to pass the time. Cyborg was still trying to reason with Robin that the expenses on the T-car's repair needed to come out of the Titan's funds as a work-related expense, rather than out of his own money. And no one could seem to understand how Archangel could sleep through most of this.

"Uh, I think that's enough punch buggy for now, Star," Beast Boy said, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Map says our exit should be coming up soon," Robin said to Cyborg.

"And do you see it just up ahead?" Cyborg asked sarcastically. "I'm telling you we're lost. Must've got turned around when we passed through San Antonio."

"Well, surely we'll pass a place we can stop and ask directions," Robin said, looking at the map from every angle.

Beast Boy leaned in between them. "There! That sign," he said, "Dexter's Bar and Grill."

"I don't know, man," Cyborg said in a warning tone, "a bar, this late, in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me."

"Well, it's the only sign of civilization we've seen in a while," Robin argued. "We go in, we ask for directions, we get out. Easy as that."

"Fine," Cyborg sighed as he pulled off the side of the road.

Cyborg's doubt was still not assuaged as they pulled into the dirt parking lot. It was a small, white-washed building, just barely standing on its supports. "Cool, they've got a live band tonight," Beast Boy pointed out.

"Wonderful," Raven quipped, "let's just get some directions and go. We really need to get back on the road."

As the Titans slowly piled into the small building, it soon became apparent what a mistake it was. It was clearly a rough bunch who frequented the bar. Finding one patron who did not look as though they had committed a felony seemed harder than finding a needle in the haystack. Needless to say, the Titans stuck out like sore thumbs. A few glowered at them. Still a few others, in a not so subtle way, made sure the Titans saw them fingering their weapons. Cyborg leaned forward and whispered to the rest of the group, "We are so dead."

"This does feel unsettling," Archangel agreed.

"No worries," Beast Boy said, shrugging it off, "you guys ask for directions. I'll grab us some grub."

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble," Raven sighed, following him.

"I don't think it's him we have to worry about," Robin muttered as conversations resumed in the bar, the fascination with the Titans over.

Beast Boy was busy trying to get the attention of the bartender. "Yo! Six root beers," he called out.

He was ignored, yet again. Another patron, sitting beside Beast Boy flicked out a pocket knife and stabbed it into the wood of the bar. "Or, you know, maybe not," Beast Boy backpedaled. "Yeesh, tough crowd."

"Try to make them hate us," Raven said as she came up behind him. "Look, I'm just going to go wait by the curb. The smart thing to do would be to do the same."

She left back out towards the parking lot. At least she was speaking to him again, he thought. That was a good sign. He followed, sitting beside Raven on the curb. "So, you're not still mad at me anymore?" he asked tentatively.

"I was never mad at you," Raven corrected. "I'm just…frustrated with you sometimes. I wish you would just think before you act sometimes. It would save so much trouble."

Beast Boy was a little taken aback, and offended. "You think I don't put any thought into what I do?" he asked shortly. "Yeah, I don't come up with the whole plan like Robin, but I at least know how to keep myself and you guys from getting hurt. I've saved your butt hundreds of times. Did you think I wasn't thinking things through then?"

Raven only waited for him to finish. "First of all, those instances were just dumb luck. Second, I'm not talking about hero stuff. On any given day, you always do something silly, like leaving the radio on in Cyborg's car. Or you'll say something dumb, like what you did to cause me to almost wreck. Never once do you ever stop to think about those sorts of things. If you did, that could save us so much trouble and misunderstandings down the road."

Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck nervously, taking in everything she said. "I don't know, Raven," he muttered. "If I did think about those things, I would be too scared to say or do anything. I'd never take any chances."

"I could live with that," Raven responded.

"I don't think so," Beast Boy disagreed. "I'd be too much like you, and I don't think you'd like that. There's really only room enough in this world for one of you."

Perhaps there was some truth there. Someone like Raven needed someone as impulsive and dreamy as Beast Boy to balance her out, to be the person that gave her hope. Then another thought hit her. "What do you mean there's only room enough in the world for one of me?" she asked with a huff.

"I didn't mean anything bad by it," Beast Boy said, throwing his hands up defensively. "I just meant that you're unique. I like that, and I think only one of you is just perfect."

Something felt different in the way he said all that, and Raven raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Okay…" she said, a little unsure what to make of the responses. "Sure."

Crickets started to chirp, and the two sat in silence for a moment. "You know," Beast Boy sighed after a while, "this reminds me of traveling with my parents when I was a kid. Seeing all the stars like this, I mean. That's something I miss living in Jump City."

For Raven, this was starting to feel surreal. Not only was she having a serious conversation with Beast Boy, but for once, on his own terms, he was sharing about his past with her; with anyone for that matter. What was happening here? "I bet it was wonderful," was all she could think to say.

Meanwhile, the other Titans were not having much luck. "I don't know which is worse," Cyborg sighed, sitting down with the rest of the group, "that very few of these guys want to help us out, or that everyone else gives me the willies."

"We haven't had much luck either," Robin agreed. "I mean, these guys aren't even super villains. What's there to be afraid of?"

"I think it is the unfamiliarity of our surroundings," Starfire offered. "We do not know these people or what they are capable of."

During their conversation, none of them had noticed a small group of things surrounding them, and blocking any means of escape. They were made aware of this situation when one put his hand forcefully down on Archangel's shoulder. Another, who liked to proudly display his gold tooth stood right beside Robin, all the while eyeing Starfire. "Do you mind if your date dances with me?" he asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

Like Archangel, Robin could feel the man's grip on his arm. He was not in a good position to scare him off with some martial arts. He could recognize a bad situation when he saw one. He also could tell that these guys had no idea what they were getting themselves into. "Uh no, go right ahead," he said in an almost too-pleasant voice. Just wait until they actually tried.

Starfire read Robin's look, and was waiting for the next move to see how to play this. The man's response was to rip up the table they were sitting at by the screws. And offering out his hand to Starfire. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "This is some earthly challenge of strength, yes?" she said, rather calmly. "Very well. I accept."

Before anyone else could react, she had hovered over and lifted the entire bar from the floor. This, however, resulted in a different reaction. The thug strode over, clearly about to boil over, and threw a punch directly at Starfire. Dropping the bar, she ducked, throwing her own punch. Out cold, he fell on top of someone else. This resulted in an all-out brawl in the bar. Starfire weaved among the people, getting back to Cyborg, Robin, and Archangel. Another man stood by the back door, looking at the four of them. "If I were you, right now," he said casually, "I would be…"

"Leaving!" Cyborg finished. "A perfect idea."

The four took off in a mad dash for the T-car. They ran right past Beast Boy and Raven, and dove into the car. "Just great," Raven muttered as they sped off.

"Uh, what just happened?" Beast Boy asked, clearly confused.

"What just happened is your friends did quite a number on my little establishment," a voice said behind them, "and payment is required."

Cyborg's adrenaline was finally dropping and he started to slow down as they drove. "That was messed up," he sighed. "I'm just glad to be out of there. Not exactly what I would've done, Star, but I guess that works."

"Seriously though," Robin added, "that was awesome. The looks on their faces. Raven, Beast Boy, you should've seen it."

The realization finally set in. "I had noticed it was roomier in here," Archangel said.

Cyborg muttered a series of curses as he turned the car around.

"I can't believe this!" Cyborg grumbled as he sped back to the bar. "How did we forget about them?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Starfire responded, eagerly raising her hand. "We were too busy running away like baby slivnods to notice."

Cyborg grumbled some more. "Thanks, Star," he muttered sarcastically, "that was a rhetorical question, but thanks. I needed that."

"I don't think it'll be that big of a deal," Robin interrupted. "They're capable of handling themselves. They're probably just waiting a few yards from the bar."

As they pulled up, however, the place looked completely abandoned. "Or not," Robin concluded, hastily.

Cyborg slammed his fists on the horn. "How could I have been so stupid?" he said in a frustrated growl. "They could be who knows where by now. Someone has 'em. I just know it."

Robin was already starting to get out of the car. "We'll get to the bottom of this," he assured. "Can you run a scan for their signature to see what direction they might've gone?"

"Yeah," Cyborg sighed, following Robin.

"You won't need to," a voice said from behind them.

"Ready to attack," the Titans turned towards the voice. A one-eyed, scruffy-looking man stepped forward, his hands in a defensive pose. He did not appear to be a threat, for now anyway. "The Sheriff has them," he continued after only a brief hesitation.

"The Sheriff?" Robin asked, going deep into thought. "Then that's a good thing, right?"

The man shook his head. "That's just the name he goes by. It's not the sheriff," he corrected. "No, the Sheriff owns a lot of this part of town. Everyone's at his mercy. Said something about all the ruckus your bunch caused earlier and needing payback."

The four remaining Titans shared a guilty look, knowing it was they who were responsible. "So, where'd he take them?" Robin asked.

"That's the big question," the man responded. "More than likely, he took 'em to his headquarters. Where that is actually, is anyone's guess."

"And why should we trust you?" Cyborg added.

"Your choice," the man said with a shrug.

"Any lead is better than no lead," Robin concluded. "Between Cyborg's scans and Archangel's nose, we should be able to track them and see if we can figure out where this hideout is. Come on!"

XxX

Beast Boy and Raven were tied back to back in a rather neat and well-kept warehouse. "Okay, so you totally can't blame me for this one," Beast Boy said, trying to make light of the situation.

"No, I don't," Raven replied, "but I would like to know why it took so long for the others to figure out they forgot us."

"If they ever remembered they forgot us," he added. "They sure were quick to beeline out of there."

"Yeah, well, so can we," Raven said, struggling against the ropes. "Places like these, out in the middle of nowhere, aren't prepared for supers."

As she said it, she snapped through the ropes, using her powers. "You are right, in that we don't see many of your kind around these parts," their captor said, closing a door behind him, "but you're wrong to think you're the only ones here. Now then, it appears ordinary ropes just won't do."

With a snap of his fingers, Raven and Beast Boy were bound in eerily, glowing white ropes. The Sheriff had a big toothy grin, knowing he had them. "Do you know why they call me the Sheriff?" he asked, though not expecting an answer. "You see, I like to protect my own."

With a wave of his hand, they saw the brief shimmer of the shield surrounding them. "Force fields," Raven muttered, now realizing it. "Of course you create force fields. Just great."

"Is that all you can do?" Beast Boy said, mocking a yawn. "Boring."

The Sheriff inhaled deeply, trying not to cause an outburst. "Well, you and your friends won't find it so boring when I'm through with you." He sneered.

The conversation was interrupted as they heard a series of loud, destructive noises outside. The Sheriff only briefly looked up, not all that concerned. "That would be your friends, I assume," he said, coolly. "Let's give them a show."

He left, his barriers and force fields still very active. For the moment, Beast Boy and Raven were trapped. "Okay, so he's totally crazy," Beast Boy muttered. "What now, Raven?"

XxX

The four remaining Titans had followed the trail to a rather new-looking building, most likely designed for storage. "So, we go in, get Beast Boy and Raven, and get back on the road," Cyborg whispered. "We're starting to get behind schedule as it is."

Archangel only shook his head, and Robin and Starfire only gave him a look. "What?"

"We're heroes. Vacation or not, we have a job to do," Robin lectured. "We put a stop to this guy while saving our friends."

Cyborg only rolled his eyes and sighed. It had been agreed upon that Starfire and Archangel would serve as an exterior distraction, leaving Robin and Cyborg the chance to get in, rescue their friends, and apprehend the Sheriff. There was a loud roar of flames as Starfire and Archangel soared overhead, their hands locked, creating the pulsating, green flames, which caused the guards to react and scatter. This was only the main event, to get everyone's attention. Once the two split from each other, they were able to deliver a divided attack, forcing guards to scatter even further as they tried to deal with the individual threats. This made it almost too easy for Robin and Cyborg to bolt into the building.

This was the farthest extent of the ease of their mission. There was a resonating boom as soon as they closed the door behind them. The Sheriff's force fields had come up; one surrounding the warehouse, preventing any further damage or assistance from Starfire and Archangel, another creating invisible walls throughout the warehouse, preventing any progress from Robin and cyborg and any escape from Raven and Beast Boy. Starfire and Archangel were among the first to figure out this problem. Archangel blew his horn. The ground shook, and the guards, protected by the force field trembled as the ground rumbled, but nothing else happened. "Anything?" he called to Starfire, hoping she was having more luck.

She pounded the invisible shield with starbolts. She would not have known it was there had Archangel not run into it head first. "No," she said in a frustrated sigh, "what if the others need our help?"

Archangel landed beside her, and felt the dry brush around the area. "We will think of something, but until then," he said, igniting the brush, creating a ring of fire around the building, "we will make sure no one leaves until we are ready to leave."

Cyborg and Robin, having only just entered the building, were still unaware of the change in the battle environment. "Where to now?" Robin asked.

Cyborg checked the readouts on his scanner. "I'm picking up their bio-heat signatures from over there," he said, pointing to a door on the left.

The two took off, running in that direction. They were soon knocked back by what seemed like an invisible force, falling back a few feet away. As soon as Cyborg could stand up, he started pounding at the invisible wall, trying to find a hole or a weakness. He let out a grunt of frustration, finding none. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" a voice said from behind. "You see, after all the trouble you caused, I figure I deserve collateral."

Robin gritted his teeth. So many villains said the same thing over and over. It could get really grating on his nerves. "Our friends are not collateral," he asserted, "and from the way I hear it, you protect no one. You're just a thief and a bully."

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed. "Then I suppose we'll have to do things the hard way."

Beast Boy and Raven were still struggling against their restraints. The chains were uncomfortably confining, preventing Beast Boy from turning into anything big enough to break them. At the same time, they shrunk as he tried to make himself small enough to slip out. Raven tried to gain control of the chains with her own magic, to no avail. "So, we're stuck here until the guy's get here?" Beast Boy said, feeling dejected.

"Just let me think," Raven grunted, looking around for any possible aid.

Suddenly, the two of them heard the boom as the Sheriff placed new barriers. The chains holding them disappeared. "Interesting," Raven mumbled, thinking.

"Uh, what just happened?"

"It seems the Sheriff's powers share a particular similarity to mine. Whenever I cast a new spell, any old spell I had active, disappears because I lose focus. Seems he's the same way. I wonder about something else."

The new barriers still kept the two trapped in the room, the barrier covering the doorway, preventing their exit. Raven concentrated on a spot just beyond the door. It took a lot more work than usual. Mentally, it was certainly more draining. However, she was eventually creating a shield of her own, just beyond his, making his disappear. "Neat," Beast Boy said, amazed at the process.

"If I can just create my shields beyond his, we have a chance," Raven continued. "He may just be able to do the same thing against me, but I have a plan now."

Like a master artist, the Sheriff was good at his craft. For every blast, punch, and kick Cyborg could throw, he could create a small, invisible shield he could swiftly move about, covering every weak spot. For every one of Robin's gadgets aimed at him, he could create a full-body cover. He still tried hard to maintain concentration on the barriers he had created, separating the Titans. He had already made on mistake forgetting the binding he had placed on his collateral. No matter. They could not leave the room anyway after what he already had up. At the moment, Cyborg and Robin had found a low hanging beam, and ad decided to use it as the focal point to engage in the move known as the sonic boom. Crossing each other's path as they ran up the nearby wall, Robin tossed one of his blasting disks, and Cyborg gave it a shot with his sonic cannon to get more power behind it. As the blast cleared, the two stood with shocked expressions as they saw the Sheriff completely unscathed, having created an entire wall in the room. "Now what?" Cyborg asked, as the Sheriff paced his area, awaiting their next move.

Even Robin was starting to run out of steam. "I don't know. He's got these walls all over the place, and no doubt he's prevented Starfire and Archangel from getting in."

Just behind the Sheriff, a black wall of energy appeared just ahead of his force field, making it dissipate. As Raven let go of her focus and made the wall come down, a bull-form Beast Boy ran out and rammed into the Sheriff, knocking him off his feet. His own concentration broke, taking down any barriers he had formed. Outside, Starfire and Archangel had been waiting for any sign of movement. They heard the pop as the force fields fell. "What is happening?" Starfire asked, unsure at the sudden turn of events.

Archangel unfurled his wings as he said, "I do not know, but we had better take advantage of this opportunity."

He gritted his teeth and leapt to his feet. Beast Boy went at him again as a kangaroo, boxing him around with his feet. The Sheriff tried to throw up his small shields, but Raven always could throw up one of her own just beyond him in time. The other problem was that Robin and Cyborg were also on his tail. Managing one or two Titans was one thing, but keeping track of four was wearing himself thin. His strategy turned to one of mere avoidance as blasts of sonic energy and dozens of various devices missed him by inches. The situation was even further complicated when the doors blasted open and Archangel and Starfire joined the fray.

He had one last idea. Surely the little sorceress could not possibly counter this one. As the flames and radioactive balls of energy added to the confusion, he threw up a tight, full-bodied force field dome around himself. As the dust cleared, the others looked to Raven. Exactly as she had planned. Using as much focus as she could muster, she created an even smaller energy field, entrapping the Sheriff. He could not create anything smaller around himself to counter her, and was truly trapped. "Looks like you boxed yourself in," she said.

XxX

Beast Boy crashed on the hotel bed. "Oh, this feels so good," he said, rubbing up against the soft pillows and purring.

"We finally made it," Robin agreed. "Though, I think we'd better let Bumblebee fly us back with the T-car. I don't feel like doing a repeat of the trip over."

"That would be terrific," Raven added.

Robin was busy going through a stack of papers as he spoke. "Okay, since Beast Boy has claimed this room, he and Archangel are sharing. Cyborg and I have the room across the hall, and Starfire and Raven should be just around the corner. Now…Beast Boy, what are you doing?"

With a guilty grin, he placed the phone back in the cradle. "I was uh, ordering up room service," he said. "In case you didn't notice, there weren't a lot of vegetarian options along the road. I'm starving over here."

Robin pulled out a few more papers. "No time," he said. "According to the itinerary Bumblebee made, we only have a little more than an hour to freshen up for the welcome dinner, and it's a formal affair."

Cyborg thrust a hanger with a suit jacket and shirt hanging from it into Archangel's hands. "Don't worry, I got you covered. I think we're just gonna have to accept that human pants won't fit you. Anyway, this is half of a tux I wore back in my high school days. It'll be a little big on you in places, but it'll do."

Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven began to file out. Robin was the last out. "Seriously, get dressed, and don't screw around," he warned before he shut the door.

A couple of hours later, Beast Boy was helping Archangel with his tie. "I feel uncomfortable and ridiculous," Archangel said.

The tie was a little crooked, but it would have to do. "It's fine," Beast Boy said, waving it off. "Can't be any worse than trying to stuff Wildebeest into a monkey suit."

There was a knock at the door as the rest of the team came to get them. "Not bad," Cyborg said, looking over the two. "My tux looks a little long in the sleeves and big in the chest, but it's not that noticeable."

Beast Boy was looking over everyone's shoulder. "Uh, where's Raven?" he asked.

"Let's just go," he heard her voice call out from behind Starfire.

Starfire stepped aside. Shock was an understatement for Beast Boy's expression. No one had ever seen Raven in a dress, and though simple, it really did look good on her. Everyone could tell by now that Beast Boy was staring intently. "That's it, I'm putting the cloak over it," she said, her cheeks flushed and trying to get away quickly.

Starfire and Beast Boy each grabbed her arm to stop her. "Wait, Raven!" he exclaimed. "It looks nice, alright? It's fine."

Raven looked back at him, unsure what to say. She was not used to compliments, especially those regarding looks. That was not to say that Beast Boy did not try, yet she still did not know how to receive them. And on the other hand, Starfire had a tight grip on her arm. There was no hope of escaping anyway.

As they walked down to the lobby, Cyborg was reading up on the weekend's events. "It says this dinner is going to introduce the new Titan's North," Cyborg read. "I'd heard some things about those plans, just not all the details. Hey, check it out! Says there's going to be some awards too. Robin was nominated for the team leader category. No surprise there, though I think my final vote is still going to be Bee."

Robin shrugged it off. He knew his friend had a soft spot for the leader of the Titans East. "Looks like the whole team got nominated for something, except for Beast Boy," Cyborg continued.

"Hey!" Beast Boy said. "I should have at least gotten one for funniest Titan."

"Sorry," Cyborg said, scrolling through the list, "looks like that one's going to be a toss-up between Kid Flash and Mas y Menos."

Beast Boy whined, "Oh come on. Half the stuff they say is only funny in Spanish."

Cyborg only shrugged. "Well, I wasn't on the nomination committee, so there."

The dinner turned into a large social as friends caught up and new faces were welcomed. Archangel was discussing powers with Hot Spot, and he had become the latest hero of interest to Mas y Menos. Beast Boy spent a lot of time catching up with Aqualad and Thunder. Raven stuck to the sidelines, only occasionally conversing with Herald. Starfire was more than excited to see Red Star. Cyborg spent most of the night with Bumblebee by his side, but he made efforts to talk about the latest technology with a few others. Robin focused on catching up with Speedy and congratulating Jinx on her promotion as the leader of the newly-formed Titans North. "The only girl on the whole team," Jinx said. "Red Star won't be much trouble, but Thunder and Lightning will need to be reined in, and of course, I'll also have Kid Flash, which can be hit or miss. Say, where is he anyway?"

Speedy looked over the heads of the crowd. "Looks like the buffet table."

Jinx only rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. He's sweet, most of the time, but…"

"I get it," Robin said. "All part of being a leader."

"Seriously though," Jinx continued, "if Raven or Starfire ever want to have a week or two away, I'd love it."

"We'll see," Robin said. "With six Titans, that can be a possibility now."

Speedy spoke up. "So, how's that working for you guys anyway?"

"Not bad. Archangel's pretty eager to please, and it's nice for Star to have someone she can relate to about non-Earth related stuff."

Speedy turned, eyeing some of the other heroes in the crowd. "You sure it's just that?" he said. "They seem a little more than chummy to me."

Robin looked over as Starfire was introducing Archangel to Red Star. As usual, even in normal conversation, Starfire still liked to use touch as a means of expressing feelings. All throughout this trip, it had bothered him more and more. It was a little much, in his opinion. Tonight though, there was something different. Hearing Speedy say something about it made him wonder. Was that how he had come across to the others? As jealous and skeptical? For once, things seemed to be put into perspective. "You know what?" Robin said. "That's really none of your concern. They're just good friends, and if that's all it is to her, that's all it is to me."

"Whatever, man," Speedy said with a defensive shrug.

In a way, this felt like a small victory to Robin: a victory over himself. As the night came to an end, only a few stragglers remained. Cyborg had been busy catching up with the Titans East, something which would keep him pretty late. Robin had just started walking back with Starfire. Perhaps with Cyborg preoccupied, they might have a few minutes to themselves. Robin went along with the idea, and let her into his and Cyborg's room for a few more minutes. At first, it had been a little bit of conversing, but soon, the conversation did not need words. Somewhere in the make-out session, Robin's hands went to wrap around Starfire's back. She flinched, and shrugged off his hands. "Something wrong?" he asked worriedly. This was certainly not the first time this had happened, and it made him concerned.

"Nothing is wrong."

He could tell she was lying, and it bothered him. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Look, if something's bothering you…"

"I told you there was nothing wrong," Starfire said shortly.

This reaction confused him. He had never known Starfire to be this closed off. What worried him more was that she felt some need to keep whatever it was a secret, and chances were, she did not need to. "Star, I feel like you're trying to keep something from me," he said, trying to ease into it. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Starfire sighed. He was just too persistent sometimes. "Yes, but you have also promised to let me tell you when I am ready."

"Well, yeah, but lately I feel like something in particular has been bothering you. You haven't seemed like yourself. And, this isn't the only time I've noticed. Star, you've been really distant lately, like you're in some sort of fog. I'm worried about you."

"You are worried about how that will affect my abilities and my duties to the team," she said, gasping as she did. She did not know where that remark had come from.

Robin's eyes narrowed a bit. "Now, you know that's not even remotely true."

Robin was only trying to be patient with her, she knew. At the same time, how could she possibly let him in on her shame? "I'm only trying to help," Robin continued, placing a firm hand over hers.

"I know, but I do not wish for your help right now," Starfire said, staying firm.

Robin had to make a quick decision. Was he going to plant his feet on this, or leave it be? "Star, I want to be the person you can count on when things are bad," he said. "If this is how you see it…"

"I am not saying this is how it will always be!" Starfire said, raising her voice, hoping he did not hear it tremble. "Just, how it is now."

"Star, whatever this is, you can't keep hiding from it forever. You can't keep hiding from me forever. We're a couple, and that means we help each other through this stuff. Look, I know what it's like, but running from your problems…"

"Then perhaps I need more time to think about the status of our relationship."

It felt as though all the air had escaped from the room. Those words had just slipped out, but there was no going back from them. The flood gates had broken loose.


	9. Episode 9: Road Trip, Pt 2

**Episode 9: Road Trip, Pt. 2**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer –** _Well, it's June, and it's a Monday, which means So Coal Black Grew the Elder one is back! So, several announcements to get through before we start, though. First, this will be the last time I officially plug for the story Born of Fire, co-written by bearhow and myself. If you would like to read it, go to bearhow's profile, where it is saved. Believe me when I say, it's a good read. Heck, bearhow does a better job of writing Archangel than I do._

 _Second, I've joined yet another forum, and I want to share it with you. It is called The Reckoning, and it is run by a friend of mine. If you go to your search bar, select forums, and type this in, it will be the last one on the list. It is a startup forum, but I think it shows a lot of potential. So, if you're looking for a friendly reviewing/reading/writing community, come and join the fun! You will definitely find me frequenting the games and Fandom Chat threads on that forum, and I'd love to see you there._

 _Third, and finally, if you took the time to listen to our musical clue from last chapter, you would know that our villain this time is going to have a steampunk theme. I can't wait for you to meet them. Thank you all for your patience while I took a much needed rest and time to do some serious edits to my work. I noticed that readership for this story stayed strong, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Thank you so much!_

 _On with the show, and no, I still do not own Teen Titans. Maybe one day…_

* * *

 **Tamaran, 8 Years Ago**

"This does not seem like such a wise decision," Zadkiel said, trying to talk his friend out of it.

He and Starfire were out on her balcony. It had been a little shy of two years since they had first met. Much to Galfore's pleasure, and her father's relief, the two really had become good friends. Now, Starfire wanted to expand on that friendship through a rare, but important Tamaranean ritual. Unfortunately, Zadkiel had some skepticism about it. "It is not dangerous," Starfire said. "It does not hurt for long. Besides, this is important to my people. It is important to me."

She had him there. She always did. Zadkiel had quite the soft spot for Starfire, and whether she knew it or not, she could easily talk him into anything. With a sigh, and reminding himself how silly it really was, he pulled his dagger from his belt. "Who goes first?" he said, trying to hide his apprehension.

After a slight pause, which did not make him feel any better, she finally said, "I will."

She took the dagger from him. Despite all her confidence right now, she had never performed this ritual with anyone before. Sucking in a breath, she quickly swiped, making a small nick in each of her palms. Her dark, green blood started to overflow beyond the cut. She passed the dagger on. Wincing as he did so, he made two smaller cuts on his hands. He had only barely made the second cut when Starfire grabbed his hands, pressing her own wounds against his. "Now, no matter what," she said, "we are as close as family."

"I am a Tamaranean," Zadkiel said, remembering the words Starfire told him to recite.

"And I am Visiri," she said back.

Zadkiel could not help it. This feeling of connection and friendship made him truly happy. His palms warmed at the thought of it. In an unexpected instant, a jet of glowing, green flames blasted upwards from their joined hands. He leapt back in shock. Starfire stayed stock still, amazed. "Did you feel that?" she asked.

"Yeah, what was it?"

Both were at a loss for an explanation, but Starfire tried to describe it. "I think it was us, together. It was your fire with my starbolts. At least that is what it looked like."

He rubbed his thumb on one of the cuts on his hands. "Was it because of this?" he asked. "Does this normally happen?"

"Galfore never mentioned anything like this, and he has several blood-friends across the galaxy. But, this is too strange to be a coincidence."

Zadkiel held up his hand towards her. "Only one way to know."

They rejoined their hands, each now putting forth the same effort towards using their abilities. A stronger, brighter flame burst upwards as their hands touched. "Wow," was all they could both breathlessly say.

"We have to try this on the training grounds," Starfire said, grabbing Zadkiel by the arm.

"But…" he tried to object, but to no avail.

* * *

 **New Orleans, Present**

Robin sat at a table outside that morning, his head in his hands. Last night was still a vivid and painful memory. Things had only escalated, Starfire left in tears, and he did no sleep. He was starting to shake a little as well. Pretty soon the others would be here, and there would be questions. He could not even dare to think about it. He was still trying to process it himself. A pair of hands slammed down on the table in front of him, startling him. "What happened?" Raven was glaring at him with a look that could kill three times over.

"Not right now, Raven," Robin said. "It's been a rough night already, and I really don't need you and the others turning against me right now."

Raven only gave an exasperated sigh, messaging her temples. "First, you're not the only one who had a rough night. Second, I'm not 'against' you. No one is, yet. I'm just trying to understand what happened. Sorry I snapped. This is just me without much sleep."

Robin looked down, feeling both embarrassed and guilty. "So, Star told you everything."

"Her side of it, yes."

By now, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Archangel had joined them. "So, we having breakfast or what?" Beast Boy asked. "Hey, where's Star?"

He could not look them in the eye. "All right, what'd you do this time?" Cyborg asked shortly. He had remembered Starfire rushing out of their room last night, tears in her eyes. Only now was he starting to piece it all together.

Raven only shot him a look. She might have been able to make some progress if these three had not butt in. "Look, I don't want to talk about this right now," Robin said, getting up. "We're here for the conference. There's a meeting between the team leaders that's going to start soon. I've got to go."

He left without another word. Archangel and Beast Boy were the only two left confused. "So, am I missing something?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg ignored him. "So, how is Star?" he asked Raven.

"Last time I left her, she was asleep. After being up so late with all of this, she needs it."

Cyborg mulled over the options. "Okay, I'll check on her in a bit. There's a tech display in the lobby I wanted to check out. Call me if you need anything."

Beast Boy was a little disappointed that even Cyborg was taking the conference as seriously as Robin. "So, I guess it's just the three of us?" he said, trying to remain hopeful.

"Sorry," Raven replied, "Archangel and I are going to a panel on spirituality and superheroes."

Beast Boy groaned. "Oh, come on. You had to pick like the most boring thing ever."

Raven had already started to leave. "Well, sorry you feel that way, but we are going."

Beast Boy was left all alone at the table. What was the point of going if they were not going to enjoy their vacation, he thought? He was debating what to do on his own when he heard someone approach. Starfire hardly looked like her usual self. It was clear she had been up most of the night, crying, and from the bloodshot eyes, had not gotten a lot of sleep as a result. "Where is everyone?" she said in a voice as small as she felt.

Beast Boy was only able to glean enough information to know that something had transpired between here and Robin last night, and that things between them were frosty, at best. "Uh, they all had stuff to do with this convention," he replied after a long pause, not sure how to handle the situation.

"Oh." She was quiet for a while before she added, "Perhaps there is somewhere I should be for this weekend's event?"

It was then that an idea struck Beast Boy. "Forget about this convention. I thought it would just be catching up with old friends, but it's gotten pretty boring. Look, we're off for a whole weekend in a great city. Let's make the most of it. Come on," he said, grabbing her arm.

Starfire was not eager to follow. "Beast Boy, I am not in the mood for the joys of the recreation of going out."

"Look, I know something's got you down, Star, and you don't have to tell me what." He stopped her before she could even start. "But if there's one thing I know, it's how to make the next day better. So, come on. Give it a chance."

She had to admit, if there was anyone who knew how to cheer someone up, it was Beast Boy. There was so much conflicting her right now, so much hurt, but she decided to give it a try. His big, dopey, pleading grin made it hard to say no.

XxX

They had spent all morning, and most of the afternoon exploring downtown New Orleans. Starfire, having never seen the city before, and Beast Boy's general curiosity made for a rather enjoyable day out. Beast Boy never once asked about what happened last night, and Starfire was thankful. Despite how horrible she felt, she was not yet up for discussing it again. Raven had tried to help, but Starfire had been inconsolable at that point, and could not process anything Raven said to her. Beast Boy was always the one she could go to when all she wanted to do was feel better. At this point, they were enjoying the shade and cool air from going in and out of some of the shops. "I can't believe the guys want to miss out on a day like this," Beast Boy said, sighing with content. "Ooh, check this place out."

He bounded across the street and pressed his nose up to the window of a shop. It was a store that purveyed in items relating to Voodoo. "I've always wanted to see a place like this," he continued.

"What is all this?" Starfire said in wonder. "It looks like things Raven would have."

"Kinda," Beast Boy replied. "It's Voodoo. You know, crazy witchdoctors, dolls you stick pins in, zombies. That kinda stuff."

Starfire was still unsure. "These look special," she said, "and Raven says we are to respect others' beliefs."

Beast Boy had already gone inside and was like a child, picking up and looking at everything. Starfire could not deny her own curiosity. These were items not typically seen. She was particularly fascinated by all the different types of candles. Perhaps it would be nice to get one for Raven for staying up so late with her last night. Beast Boy must have had the same idea. He was holding something up in a jar. "You think Raven might like this?"

"I think she would prefer one of these candles more," Starfire answered. Suddenly, she became a little suspicious. "Wait, why are you…?"

"Stop! Thief!" a voice shouted from the back room.

This was followed by a loud crash as someone rushed out, right in front of Beast Boy and Starfire. Villains had come with some odd costumes and weapons before, but this one had to top their list for one of the strangest. His clothing seemed incredibly out of date, belonging to an era long gone; the turn of the twentieth century. He wore a large, stovetop hat. Tubes ran in and out of the hat, pumping odd colored liquids from test tubes attached to the outside to some unknown location on the inside. He wore a metal mask, shaped like a skull, covering his face from his forehead to his upper lip. What little they could see of his lower jaw looked a sickly grey color.

The odd garb he was wearing was nothing compared to his main weapon. His entire left arm was encased in a copper apparatus that looked like an antique form of Cyborg's sonic cannon. Four vials, attached at the shoulder contained, white, yellow, black, and red liquids, which were flowing through a winding maze of tubes down to the apparatus, all meeting at a revolver-like device, which replaced what would have been his hand. The liquids combined to form a variety of chemical cocktails that filled the barrels of the revolver.

He stared at the two unexpected guests, obviously a contingency he had not planned for. He was clearly startled, but recovered. He straightened his green vest, spun around the chambers of the revolver device, and an inky-black smoke expelled from the barrel.

Beast Boy turned into a snake to stay low to the ground and follow the culprit. It took a little longer for Starfire to find her way out onto the street. None too keen on Beast Boy following him, the thief spun the revolver around again, and a sticky, purple goo was blasted at him. He missed the first couple of hits before the sticky sludge stopped Beast Boy in his tracks. He smirked, knowing he had the upper hand.

However, Starfire whipping around him and pounding him with starbolts prevented him from savoring that victory. Quickly assessing his options, he fired a combination of two chemicals. To Starfire they were unknown, but they managed to neutralize her starbolts, and even burned a little. This kept her at bay, giving the thief enough distance to make a break for it.

"What was that?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief.

"That was not a victory," Starfire replied. "We had better call our friends.

XxX

"I'm telling you," Beast Boy said, his story becoming more elaborate by the minute, "it was like fighting a prehistoric Cyborg."

He and Starfire were trying to explain their encounter to Cyborg while the others searched for clues. "Beast Boy exaggerates," Starfire explained. Cyborg only gave her a knowing glance. "But he is right. This thief did have some similar appearances to yourself. His technology was older, though."

Cyborg was still thinking on their descriptions. "Hmm…well, let's hope Robin and the others are having better luck getting a lead."

"Anything?" Raven asked Robin and Archangel.

Archangel had been trying to pick up a scent on their thief, but was having no luck. "I am not even sure what it is we are looking for," he said, stilling going through the refuse left in the thief's attempt to flee.

"Maybe if we found out what he stole, we'd have something to go on," Robin said, suddenly realizing that no one was around.

That was right, he realized. Starfire was usually the one he would spitball his ideas to. The two had been awkwardly avoiding each other. The anger had subsided. It was the hurt that remained between them. It was still too soon to talk about it, though. He decided to go interview the shopkeeper to take his mind off of it. "So, is this the first time this…uh man has robbed you before?" he asked.

The woman nodded. "This is the first time he's robbed my place, but there have been several places he's hit. This is the fourth one this week."

Raven and Archangel stopped to listen. "What exactly does he try to steal?" Robin continued.

"Hard to say," the woman said. "He's taken so many things from different stores. He's a dark sorcerer, that one."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"No one goes stealing from places like this, dressed as he is unless he was up to no good. Let me check my shelves. I have an idea."

Robin looked behind him to see Beast Boy and Starfire just outside, talking to Cyborg. He knew that Starfire was aware of him looking, but could not meet his eyes. Already, it was shaping up to be one heck of a vacation. A rough journey getting there, his relationship with Starfire hanging by a thread, if that, and now another criminal to deal with; it was just the cherry on top. He gave a heavy sigh, just trying to manage it all at once. The shopkeeper returned. "Here's a list of items he stole," she said. "Some nasty stuff he's getting into."

Robin could not make sense of the stuff on the list. He handed it to Raven, hoping she could understand such matters. "What sort of spell do you think he was trying to use?" she asked, not all that familiar to this particular tradition.

"He's meddling in the affairs of the unnatural, in the affairs of life and death."

The Titans were making their way back to the convention. ""matters of life and death, dealing in the affairs of the unnatural; sounds like a lot of superstition," Cyborg said as Robin brought him, Starfire, and Beast Boy up to speed.

"The Voodoo tradition is an old and sacred one," Raven said, "and it does have a lot of believers."

"Whatever it is," Robin began, "this thief clearly believes in it, and he seems desperate for whatever it is he's trying to do. We have to be wary of that."

The suddenly heard breaking glass behind them, almost a block away. "Desperate is right," Cyborg said. "I think this is our guy."

The thief skidded across the street, breaking into a run. Over one shoulder, he had a small bag slung. His first run today had given him a minor setback. Normally, he would go for weeks before he would make his runs. With the supplies now, at least he could last a little longer. As he turned a corner, he almost collided with the Titans. "Twice in one day, and not even a street over," Robin said. "Some just never learn."

At least this time, they weren't interrupting the robbery itself. Quickly assessing the possibilities, the thief pointed his weapon at them, and once again, it spewed a purple sludge. "Dudes! Watch out for that stuff!" Beast Boy shouted.

Breaking away quickly, they dodged the attack. It had done exactly what he wanted it to, though: split them away from each other. One or two Titans at a time was much easier. Beast Boy and Starfire were his first targets. He already had made short work of them once. At the same time, that meant they knew what to expect. For now, they only stood waiting for the other to make a move. Starfire hovered overhead. He would have to keep track of that. Beast Boy moved first, turning into an elephant and using his trunk to grab ahold of the thief's weapon arm. Much to Beast Boy's surprise, the weapon was his arm and not attached to it.

As they struggled in their tug of war, Starfire was trying to get a clear shot at the thief. It did not help that every so often, the thief shot something out of his weapon into the air. It had just missed her a couple of times. She was not sure if that was the thief, or Beast Boy's grip on the weapon that caused these haphazard shots. Starfire zipped around them, and grabbed the thief from behind. Completely pinned, he used what strength he had left to turn the weapon towards Starfire and got off one last shot. A bright blast knocked her back a few streets over. "Star!" Beast Boy called, changing back and running for her.

The thief, rather pleased that this attacked had released him from both their grips, spun the revolver around again, and took aim at Beast Boy. A green gas spread around him, and within seconds, he was asleep. Two down, four to go.

He was put on the defensive as both Archangel and Robin were using their weapons to get him from all sides. Metal clanged against metal as his brass blaster tried to parry the attacks from Archangel's sword and Robin's staff. A few times, he was blinded by sparks as the flames from Archangel's sword struck him. He had a couple of close calls with Robin's staff, as it hit and jarred some of the tubes running down the blaster.

Archangel seemed like the easiest threat of the two to deal with. His weapon arm made a series of clicks and whirs as it turned to the right setting. A high-powered jet of water hit Archangel head-on, extinguishing his fire and nearly washing him down a manhole. He clung to the edge just before falling.

This was only a short moment of relief as Robin struck him from behind. The thief turned his weapon on Robin. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve," Robin said, pulling something from his belt.

He tossed up three metallic balls that, when they exploded, produced a series of blinding flashes. Disoriented, the thief was completely blindsided by one of Archangel's head-butts. Wobbling to his feet, the thief knew his best bet was to distract. Thick, black smog poured out of the weapon, preventing Robin from seeing, and the smell kept Archangel from finding him as well.

Cyborg had made his way into the fray and was right behind him. "Have we met?" Cyborg said, taking aim. "Because you look like someone I know."

The resemblance was not lost on the thief, and with a tip of the hat, he bowed respectfully to Cyborg before spinning around the revolver once more. A green, slick liquid spilled forth. It only took Cyborg a moment to realize just how slippery it was as it pooled out into the road. "You think you're so smart with your fancy chemicals," Cyborg said. "Try this one on for size."

A blast from the sonic cannon knocked the thief back, and his back slammed against the pavement as he skidded to a stop. He looked at Cyborg in disbelief. He truly was a worthy adversary. There were ways of dealing with such opponents, though. A quick glance up, and he saw what he needed. Before Cyborg could do anything else, the thief hosed him down with water, and in the blink of an eye, fired a flashing shot upwards, severing a powerline. His calculations were correct, and the live wire struck the wet Cyborg, giving him a good shock.

Now was the perfect time to take his leave. He had, however, forgotten about one last Titan. Raven was blocking his path of escape. Come quietly, and I won't hurt you," she threatened.

He hardly did anything. He seemed completely entranced, starring at her. "Okay…" Raven said to herself, not entirely sure what was going on with him.

She slowly made a move to apprehend him. This seemed to bring him back into reality as he jolted back from her. Raven had a spell at the ready. Quickly, the thief produced a small metal rod from his vest pocket and held it out to her.

As if coming to life, the metal began to unfurl in small sheets, and the rod began to take shape. Within a few seconds, it had turned into a magnificent, metal rose, with gold, silver, and copper petals. It truly was a work of art. Now, it was Raven who was stunned. He nodded once more, indicating to her to take it. In that moment, looking in his eyes, she saw not something evil, but just misunderstood. It seemed that he was unable to communicate the way he wanted to. He just needed someone to understand him and give him a chance.

She slowly reached out for the flower, trying to convey that she meant him no harm. Her fingers had only just touched the stem, complete with copper thorns, when they heard the sound of a cocking sonic cannon. The other Titans had him surrounded. "End of the line, pal," Cyborg said.

The thief threw himself around Raven, using her as a human shield. The movement was quick and rough, and Raven's hands were stabbed against the thorns. His free arm was clutched around her neck and shoulders, his weapon pointed at her friends. "Easy," Robin warned, "this will go a lot smoother if you work with us."

Desperate, he looked around and found what he needed at his feet. He kicked up the nearest manhole cover, and dove in, taking Raven with him. "Raven!" Beast Boy called, making a useless effort to catch her. "Oh, when I get my hands on that guy, he's gonna get it."

"Always the sewers," Cyborg grumbled. "C'mon, we'd better go find this crazy witchdoctor."

"You do not sound too worried about Raven, Archangel said.

"Trust me, knowing Raven," Robin said, "he's the one who's going to be in trouble."

"This vacation has become work very quickly," Archangel commented, as they walked through the cavernous tunnels underground.

"That's life in the big city for ya," Cyborg added. "At least the tunnels are pretty straightforward. Nowhere else they could've gone."

This conversation did not ease Starfire's worry. "Why would he take our friend?" she asked. "What could he possibly want with her?"

She was half-expecting some reassurance from Robin, but he was walking far ahead of the group. She could not blame him. This whole day had been this awkward dance of avoiding each other, not out of anger, but the fear of hurting each other even more. That did nothing for what they already felt, though. Starfire also had some guilt to go with that pain. She had been, after all, the one to land the final blow. What she had even meant when she said it? Needing time to think over their relationship. Was that really true? "There!" she heard Robin call, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Before them was a large, elaborate door. Much like the being they were following, the door was made entirely out of brass and copper. A bizarre-looking apparatus appeared to be keeping the door locked. Copper, movable pipes surrounded the device. "It's a puzzle," Robin murmured. He looked to Cyborg and Starfire. "Normally, Raven would be the one for this sort of thing, but…"

"Yeah, we can give it a try," Cyborg said. "Just wish we knew what it's supposed to do."

After a little bit of debate, and between their shared knowledge of the sciences, they turned the pipes into what they considered to be the best possible path. "Alright, try it out," Cyborg said.

Starfire pushed a button on the center of the main device. A gurgling sound bubbled from it, and they could hear a rushing sound going through the pipes. At last, they heard a whistle as white steam billowed out of a tiny pipe at the top of the door. After several seconds, and once the steam cleared, the door swung open. "Woah!" Beast Boy said, at a loss for words.

"It's a whole city under here," Robin added.

Sure enough, it was an underground city. Short, squat, brownstone buildings lined the streets. Factories, with walls of metal, had their smoke stacks connected to the ceiling of the tunnel, pumping out white steam up to the world above. Gears and cogs could be seen on these buildings, turning all the while. More brass pipes surrounded the walls of this underground utopia. A large clock sat in a small metal contraption at the center of the city. In fact, the entire city seemed to run like clockwork. The only thing that seemed real were the dozens of people walking about the street, eyeing their new visitors. Like the thief, they too were dressed in clothing befitting the turn of the 20th century, and also like him, their bodies were not entirely human, containing mechanical devices to replace limbs or parts of their faces, though they were not as dependent upon them as their culprit. "It's like a whole city full of Cyborgs!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Cyborg looked back at a woman, who had half of her head replaced by a bronze plate, with steam coming out the ear. She was giving him an odd look. "More like a bunch of old-school me's. Let's find Raven and get out of here."

Walking through the streets, they had very little luck. Not only did they have no clue where to begin, it seemed that no one in the city had even heard of the man they were searching for. They did not seem to know much of anything. No one could quite put their finger on it, but something was not quite right with this city. "We need to find some place that looks suspicious," Robin concluded.

"Dude, this whole place is suspicious," Beast Boy said. "This place has 'fishy' has written all over it."

"It is the people," Archangel said. "Nothing smells human about them."

Robin thought for a moment. Maybe this was what the shopkeeper meant by this thief dealing in matters of life and death. "Wait a minute," Cyborg said. "I think I've figured it out. This whole city…"

A trap door sprung open, and both Cyborg and Starfire fell through. Taken by surprise, Starfire did not react quickly enough to fly out, and the door immediately shut behind them. Robin, Beast Boy and Archangel ran to it, and try to pry it open, but it was as if the door never existed. Robin pounded his fists against it in frustration. "This guy's crazy!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "He's trying to pick us off one by one."

"Then we stay together," Robin said, standing. "It's our only chance of helping everyone else."

Archangel's ears pricked in response to an odd clicking sound. It was getting louder and sounded more like a swarm of angry hornets as it got closer. "But who is going to help us?" he said, becoming rather distressed.

Robin and Beast Boy began to hear it too, and turned around to see what was coming. A horde of flying metal contraptions, with wings that beat like a hummingbird's, had found them, and it seemed pretty clear they were hostile. Beast Boy gulped. "Uh, I think I've had enough fun on this vacation now."

XxX

Cyborg and Starfire fell into what seemed like a mechanic's shop. Each had landed on a work slap, and upon landing were immediately strapped in. "This is most frightening and unpleasant. Please release us," Starfire said as she struggled against her restraints. The slabs were rotated to an upright position. Standing and waiting for them was a man whose arm had been replaced by a primitive looking rivet gun. "Now, what seemed to be the problem?" he said in an all-too-friendly voice.

"Nothing was the problem until you brought us here," Cyborg said, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Hmm…" said the man, coming closer, examining them, "seems your power supply's missing. We can fix that in a jiffy."

"What are you talking about?" Cyborg nearly shouted. "My power systems are fine, and Star doesn't even have one."

He was holding several tubes, with what looked like a catheter needle on the end, and two buckets of oil. "I know, how about that weather?" he said, completely oblivious.

"He's insane!" Cyborg said. "This guy's completely lost his mind."

"Does he intend to replace our blood with oil?" Starfire asked, struggling that much harder.

He was now looking over Cyborg. "Hmm, these parts an unfamiliar to me. We'll have to take them out and start replacing them."

"The heck you will! Don't you be messin' around with my circuits."

XxX

Raven was watching a TV screen that showed her friends first entering the underground city when he returned. "This city, it isn't real," she said. "They're all mechanical dolls. It's like a big windup toy, isn't it?"

He shrugged, a little perturbed that his masterpiece was being called a "toy." Raven was still putting it all together. "Those goggles my friends have on, it makes it all look real to them?"

He nodded. "And they don't even know they have them on, do they?"

She was deep in the bowels of her captor's workshop. Rusty pipes and dirty stone walls were the only scenery, save for all his gadgets and machinery. He gingerly tapped on one of the pipes. "Right, the steam was actually a gas," Raven reasoned. "They don't even realize there was a lapse in time. You really are a man who thinks of everything."

She could see a hint of a smile under his mask. Raven began to look around her surroundings. She did not notice him turn off the screens just before Cyborg and Starfire fell through the trap door. "So, you built all this?" she said. "It is impressive." She found an old photograph. It had a happy looking couple. "Was this…was this you?" she asked, starting to put it all together.

He was hesitant, but he slowly nodded. "But, this picture must be at least a hundred years old. That would mean…"

She never got to finish her thought. He suddenly stumbled and lurched forward, clutching his machine-arm. One of the vials of liquid, the red one, had run out. He frantically scrambled about the workshop, clearly having trouble standing, and later even breathing, as he tried to find a replacement. He finally reached the cabinet where he had rows and rows of replacements. Taking another red one, he haphazardly switched them out, only regaining his stability afterwards. He took a deep breath of relief as everything resumed to normal. "Are you even alive?" Raven asked, becoming suspicious.

He made no effort to answer her. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

He only looked at the cabinet full of vials, wondering that question himself. However, Raven deduced it again. The workshop was full of machinery, but nothing to indicate chemicals. "Because you didn't do this to yourself. You're stuck like this until those run out."

She could see that it would be years, if not decades before those would run out. She could hardly imagine the suffering he went through. "Is that why you rob the Voodoo shops? Are you trying to find a way to die?"

He stood up quickly, eager to show her his real motives. Tugging her arm, he led her down a couple of hallways to a doorway separated only by a curtain. As he pulled it back, she was nothing short of surprised. It was a fairly spacious room, at least more so than the cluttered workshop. On a platform was a mechanical doll, not all that unlike the others he had made in the city. It was a woman with a delicate porcelain face, who looked almost real. Strung around the room were all the various items he had stolen from the Voodoo shops, hung in a web of string in purposeful points. Raven was careful not to disturb them as she went under the web to get a closer look at the doll. "It looks like the girl in that photo," she said, touching its face.

He had clearly taken care of it every day. Not even a speck of dust was on the creation. It was only now that she could see that look of loneliness that seemed permanently etched onto his face. "That's why you're doing all this?" she said. "You just want to bring her to life, to not be here alone?"

He nodded, but also showed her the photograph once more. Raven looked between the picture and the doll. She was almost an exact replica, but there was something else she had not noticed. "She…she looks a lot like me," she said.

He nodded again, and walked her over to a small podium with an old book resting on it. Raven was still trying to piece together his meaning. "Look, I don't know what you think is going to happen, but I'm not actually her. You understand that, right?"

He brought the book forward, pointing to several pages. "Look, I really don't understand," Raven said. "It's another spell. As you can see, those are clearly not working. She's a doll. You can't make her into a real person."

He opened a small compartment on the chest of the doll. Raven now looked closely at the pages in front of her. "You need a heart for this one," she said, reading through the pages. He did not meet her gaze this time. "You need my heart." She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Without a word, he pointed his weapon at her.

XxX

Robin was trying to beat back as many of the mechanical fliers as he could, but only more kept swarming upon them. "I'm open to any ideas, guys," he said as he ripped the circuitry out of one.

Archangel had only just sliced through another, only to have handful more cling to wings, weighing him down. "It would help if we knew where they were coming from," he said.

Beast Boy had been trying his best to stomp on as many as he could as a rhino. "Who cares?" he said, shifting back to catch a breath. "For every one we get, there are like ten more."

Robin was suddenly swarmed by a dozen more of the little devices. With pincer-like, they clung to his body. Robin worked fast to try and pry them off, throwing them this way and that as he did. One stray one he threw hit a pedestrian, knocking them over. However, they did not get up. They just laid there, their body stiff and unmoving. "Huh?" Robin said to himself. Something was incredibly wrong here.

He did not have much time to think about it. Archangel was trying to set some of the bots on fire as he flew away from the ones chasing him. He was flying low enough that Robin grabbed him by the ankle and yanked him down. "What do you think you're doing? We're in a vacuum-sealed chamber underground," he said. "Set something on fire and we're all doomed."

"Heads up!" they heard Beast Boy call out.

Another stray bot was coming at them. Archangel heard Beast Boy and ducked just in time. Robin was hit in the face and knocked back. Opening his eyes once more, he noticed something off. It looked as though his vision was cracked. Wait a minute! He was wearing goggles. When did he have these on? Had he had these on the whole time? He pulled them off and threw them aside. He also noticed that Beast Boy had them on too. Robin was becoming more aware of what was happening. With the goggles on, he could now see this world for what it was; a very elaborately designed hoax. This world was nothing but the inside of a clock, practically. Everything and everyone was mechanical, all running on well-designed tracks, going through the same clockwork motions every day. The small bots attacking them were still very real. Robin dashed over to Beast Boy, and helped him take off the goggles. "Hey, when did I get these?" he asked, completely dumbfounded as the veil was lifted.

"Don't know," he replied, "but they've been altering our perception of this world."

Archangel was still beating back bots as he made his way over to them. "Wonderful realization," he said, "but what now? These things are relentless."

Robin was still thinking as he spoke. "That's just it. Everything here runs like a watch, doing the same thing over and over again. But these things are outliers. Their trained to attack any living intruders."

"So, what now?" Beast Boy asked, swatting yet another away.

"We have to figure out where they're coming from. I think if we find that, we're that much closer to finding the others."

XxX

The mechanic had decided to start with Starfire. She found the restraints well-reinforced as she struggled harder. The needle was incredibly close to her skin. "Hold on, Star!" she heard Cyborg call.

He launched his hand, attached to a metal tether on his arm. It whipped around the room, circling the mechanic around his feet, and Cyborg pulled hard to knock him down. There was a sickening crunch of metal and sparks flew. The mechanic did not get up, but seemed to convulse, repeating a few phrases he said over and over again. "I am confused," Starfire said, calming down after the threat had subsided. "There is something not normal about him."

Cyborg grabbed a set of keys off the man, retracted his hand, and proceeded to unlock their restraints. "Something's off about this whole place," he agreed.

He proceeded to examine the man. "Just what I thought," he said aloud. "The guy's not real. It's just a robot."

"But, it is so life-like," Starfire said.

As Cyborg was scratching his head, pondering, he felt something unusual. Either is depth perception was off or… He pulled off the goggles. "When did these get here?" he said to himself.

He noticed Starfire had them on too, and he reached over to take them off. Only then did they see how mechanical their attacker really looked. Both were dumbfounded. "But how? When did he…" Starfire began, utterly confused.

"They altered our perceptions of this world," Cyborg said. "Quite advanced really. I'd like to look at these some more. I wonder if-"

Starfire grabbed ahold of him. "There is no time," she said.

XxX

Raven groggily came to. She could see her captor preparing various surgical instruments, and checking a few readouts on devices whose purpose she did not know. Slowly, it was all coming back to her. She tried to sit up, but realized she was strapped to a slab. No matter, she thought. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she said under her breath, but nothing happened.

She rolled her head over just enough to see the glowing restraints binding her. She looked back to her captor. "I really underestimated you, didn't I?"

He only shrugged nonchalantly. "And there's nothing I can do to change your mind, is there?"

He shook his head. The slab lurched as wheels and pulleys moved, bringing it to a horizontal position. He stood over her, a bladed instrument in hand. She could hear something else whirring to life behind her. "Please, you don't have to do this," Raven said, giving it one last try.

He hesitated, certainly giving it some consideration. He started to move his hand away when a blast of green energy blew open a vent. Seconds later, he heard a door being broken down. The other Titans had found him. "Let's see how you do when we play your own game," Robin said with a smirk. "Titans go!"

As a gorilla, Beast Boy pried open one of the large water pipes lining the walls and aimed it at the villain as water blasted out. Archangel aided by igniting an incredibly hot flame alongside the water. The Villain was it with a blast of hot water and boiling steam. Raven could only make out a muffled sound that she assumed was his attempt at screaming.

As the steam cleared, Robin took to close combat with him. Now used to the weapon, Robin used its momentum and speed against him as he tried to follow Robin with it to get a clear shot. At one point, Robin had twisted his weapon arm behind his head. He started to grab the villain's mask. "Now, what is it you're hiding?" Robin said, straining to reach.

With a panicked look, he quickly used every bit of his strength to wrestle himself out of Robin's hold. With a blinding blast, he knocked Robin off his feet, and he was not too quick to stand up. Starfire was at his side in an instant.

One would have thought an entire army, not a single alien, was attacking him with as many starbolts that were being thrown his way. He was knocked back and almost tipped over his cabinet of vials. Quick as a whip, he recovered and was able to steady it, with only a few sounds of clinking glass. "Uh, thanks, Star," Robin said, not knowing what else could be said.

"You are unharmed?" she said, also not sure what else to say. It was, after all, the first time they had spoken since last night.

Cyborg, however, interrupted, "Can this wait for another time? We still got a bad guy to beat. Hey, witchdoctor! Try some of your own medicine."

Using a bucket of oil from the mechanic they had escaped from, he tossed it upon the villain. Dripping with oil, and starting to lose his balance, he was running out of options. He tried firing at Cyborg, but found his weapon gummed up from the oil. "Not so tough now without all your fancy toys," Cyborg said.

Archangel was standing by, fists ignited. The villain swallowed hard, knowing his predicament. He made a mad dash to get away.

While Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Archangel tended to the battle, Beast Boy made it his mission to free Raven. "Don't worry, Raven," he said. "If I push enough buttons, one of them's got to let you go."

"Beast Boy, wait, don't-" Raven said, trying to stop him.

But fortune was on their side. The first thing he touched released the restraints. "Cool, I did it!" Beast Boy said. "I mean, uh…I knew what I was doing. So, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks."

"You sure?"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"You're sure-sure?"

"Beast Boy…" Raven was starting to lose her patience.

"Right," Beast Boy said, slowly backing away.

He turned into a bull, and was ready to go on the offensive. Their adversary was reaching his limit with his patience. Shaking off the excess oil from his weapon, he fired several shots of sludge at Beast Boy. Effortlessly morphing into a cheetah, he bobbed and weaved, just dodging the shots. He made a running leap, attempting to pounce on him. He reacted quickly and caught Beast Boy before he landed. He hurled him away, knocking him against the platform where his precious doll stood.

In the light aftershock of being bumped by Beast Boy, the doll wobbled and began to tip over. Panic-stricken, he rushed over, nearly leaping over Beast Boy and caught it before the disastrous could happen. Glowering at each of the Titans, he lifted his weapon as it reached maximum power, ready to launch a most explosive blast. "Wait!" Raven called out, standing between him and the Titans.

Everyone warily stood down, waiting for the other's reaction. Raven took a deep breath, knowing she had to play this carefully. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but he's not dangerous," she said. "Lonely and a little misguided, yes, but not a threat."

"You're kidding, right?" Cyborg said. "Lonely? Not a threat? This guy just tried to saw you in half a few minutes ago."

"Kinda," Raven defended, "but he wasn't going to do it." She turned back to him. "Look, I know it's not much, and maybe it isn't exactly what you wanted, but maybe we can do something to help. Will you trust us?"

He looked at the doll, then the Titans, then the doll again. He sighed, and nodded in the affirmative.

It took much of Cyborg's mechanical know-how and quite a bit of Raven's magic. It did not help at all that the thief was standing over their shoulders, constantly breathing down their necks. Of course, he was nervous giving them his creation to work on.

Meanwhile, Robin found Starfire sitting off to the side. "Hey," he said, feeling stupid for not coming up with anything else.

"Greetings," she replied, scooting over for him to sit.

Robin thought he might pass out, his heart was pounding so hard. He could feel the slight tremor in his body from being so nervous. "So, what now?" he managed to ask.

She looked at him as thought that should have been an obvious answer. "We wait until Cyborg and Raven are done."

"No, I mean us," Robin said. "What happens with us?"

She had been hoping he would not ask about it. "I still need the time for thinking," she said, feeling devastated when she saw the heartbroken look on his face.

"So, until you've had time to think it over, are we…you know…done?"

"I do not know. That is why I have to think."

This was not going the way either of them planned. "So, what? That's it then?" Robin said. "I just wait around until you figure it out?"

"You might also want some of the time for thinking as well, Robin," she said a little shortly. "You ask a lot of me, yet I wonder how you would feel if I asked the same of you? What if I were to inquire about your relationship to the man who associates with bats? What if I were to ask your real name?"

They were interrupted by a loud clang as Beast Boy knocked something over while poking around the workshop. "Uh, sorry," he said, realizing he had disturbed something important. Archangel only shook his head.

"My meaning is that maybe we both need to think about what we expect of each other."

"So, this is it then? We're done? But Star-"

"Of course not," she said. "We are still friends, and maybe it will be more than that again. We just need time."

"Well, s'not much, but I think Raven and I were able to do a pretty good job, if I do say so myself," Cyborg said.

The doll could now wheel about on its own and seemed very lifelike in its movements. The thief stared at it in awe. The doll smiled, seeming a bit flustered herself. "It's got a lot more of a range of motion than your others," Cyborg continued to explain. "And it doesn't go through the same motions again and again. It responds to you."

"And I may have added a little something too," Raven added. "I used a spell involving your memories of her." She pointed to the woman in the photo. "She can speak too. But remember, it's only your memory of her, not really her. It's the best we could do."

He nodded a thank you. A few tears of joy could be seen dripping from under his mask. "Just promise us," Cyborg said, "no more knocking off Voodoo shops, okay?"

Though it was in a joking manner, he gave a non-committal shrug. "You know, in all this time, I don't think we ever learned your name," Raven said.

He thought for a moment, then quickly grabbed some paper. He hastily scribbled out a message and handed it to her. "Call me Pygmalion" it read. "I hope this is not the last time we meet."

Raven laughed a little, a rare occurrence. Only she would have seen the significance of the name. "Fitting," she said, "and I hope we do meet again, just on better terms."

XxX

"So, that's what she told you?" Cyborg asked.

He, Robin, and Beast Boy were sitting on the terrace of Robin and Cyborg's room. "Yeah," Robin said, feeling even more disheartened as he had to retell his conversation with Starfire. "So, what am I supposed to make of it?"

"Knowing Starfire, she always means what she says," Cyborg replied. "I think it's just that. She needs time. Look, I'm sure it'll be no big deal in a few weeks."

Raven appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and startled Beast Boy. "I think it's a little more serious than that. To her, this is something important, and I think it's going to take more than a few weeks."

Cyborg only gave her a look. She was not helping. "Well, Star's a lot faster than you at thinking things over," Beast Boy said, trying to be reassuring. "I'm sure it'll work out."

Cyborg stood. "C'mon, man, no use sitting here worrying over it. Besides, we've got all our friends to say goodbye to. I'm gonna ask Bee if she'll give us and the T-car a lift. I think we're done with road trips for a while."

"Thank you!" Beast Boy said with a great sigh. "I was afraid we'd have to do that all over again."

Robin tried his best to focus on other things, to actually pay attention to the conversations and farewells from the other Titans and honorary Titans, but it was no use. He noticed Starfire was nowhere to be seen, which made him worry even more. He was also aware that Archangel was nowhere in sight. While Robin knew, in a logical sense, that there was nothing to that, it did prickle under his skin a bit.

XxX

Starfire was conflicted. While on the one hand, she wanted to be alone, but on the other, she wanted someone there, just to talk to. Alone, she had time to think, but it also made her mind race, which was solving nothing. "You do not wish to see your friends of the other Titan groups before we leave?" she heard a voice ask.

Somehow, she had a feeling he would be here. "No," she replied, "but I assume you have already heard."

"Hard not to," he said, his ears perking up.

True, she had long since learned that with Archangel, secrets were hard to keep secret. "I just wish it was not so difficult," she said.

He was silent as she tried to explain. On the one hand, there was some merit to Robin's point, he knew. There was something bothering Starfire, and she was only hurting herself more by not talking about it. He had picked up on it early into his stay with the Titans. Unlike Robin, he knew it was no use trying to get her to talk about it. On the other hand, Starfire had a point. It seemed to him that the two kept far too much hidden from each other, and therein lay the problem. "And I do not understand," Starfire finished.

Archangel was very straightforward with his answer. "You are not the same person I knew eight years ago. Much has changed. And I think that even you do not know this new you yet. Take this time and get to know you. Only then, will you know the right thing to do."

She thanked him with a friendly hug. He knew it was meant only in friendship, which always made his interactions with her hurt all the more. That soft spot for her had never faded, and had instead burned brighter. Yet, he knew he was her friend, and for now, that was enough.

XxX

The Titans had just gotten back to the tower and were still regaling Bumblebee with all the tales of their antics on the road. "And I thought Beast Boy was really gonna get it when he complained to that cook," Robin finished.

"You kidding?" Beast Boy said. "The funniest thing was when Starfire cursed out that cop in Tamaranean."

Archangel added, "To be fair, I think some words she made up, she got so mad."

"Or how about Raven's driving?" Beast Boy teased. "So, we're going down the highway, and-"

"Wait," Cyborg interrupted, "you mean to tell me that you guys actually enjoyed the trip? I thought you hated it?"

They all looked at him as though he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. "All the time. This trip on the road was not very enjoyable," Starfire answered.

"Yeah, you can't laugh about it until after it's happened," Beast Boy added.

"Besides, looking back on it, it was okay," Raven said.

"But, that was nothing like what I used to do with my family," Cyborg said.

Robin put his arm around Cyborg's shoulder. "That's only how you remember it. It probably wasn't a lot of fun when you did it back then, but looking back, it's a lot of good memories."

Bumblebee shrugged. "That's how road trips were when I was a kid."

"So, then we could do it again?" Cyborg suggested.

Everyone answered in unison. "No!"


	10. Episode 10: No Honor among Thieves

**Episode 10: No Honor among Thieves**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _As promised, you will see several spoilers and hints ahead for things to come. No, they are not things to come in the immediate future, but rather for much further down the road. If anything, I hope to get you excited for future installments to this series. One teeny, tiny plug before we begin as well. As you may or may not be aware, I participate in the forum Writers Anonymous, and I engage in several of their writing challenges. A new challenge, and therefore a new one-shot is available. Check out They Were Always My Pieces if you have the time. As always, I own nothing of the Teen Titans._

* * *

 **Tamaran, 8 Years Ago**

"It is a tinabula," Starfire said, placing the string of bells around Zadkiel's neck. "You wear them during Blorthog."

He listened to the jingling sound of the bells as he moved his neck. "I am honored that you chose to celebrate this holiday with me," he said.

The two had been friends for almost two years now. Starfire never had many friends growing up, and she was therefore all the more excited to have someone to celebrate the Festival of Friendship with. Still, it felt as though something were missing. They could hear the sounds of the city, just beyond the walls of the palace, all the sounds of the festivities. "I wish we could see what Blorthog was like out there," she said.

"So, you have never enjoyed your planet's own holiday outside the palace?" Zadkiel said in disbelief.

"No, I have," she replied, "but only when Galfore takes me, and even then it is only in the tunnels."

"That does not seem fair," he said. "I have been through your capital at least once every time we come, and this is _your_ home."

He thought for a moment. "What if we could go, though?"

Starfire looked over her shoulder to make sure Galfore did not hear. At the moment, he was preoccupied with Wildfire. Zadkiel continued, giving her a half smile, which was very convincing. "It would not be as though we are doing anything dangerous, not like my brother and your sister. And who would notice another Tamaranean and Visiri on the streets today? We would be back before Galfore would know. But, leaving here would be the hard part."

"I know a way," Starfire said.

They had snuck their way into the lowest rooms of the palace. Starfire was trying to open, a large vault door. "Explain this to me again," Zadkiel said, "where exactly is it we are going?"

"The tunnels," she replied, tugging at the door. "K'norfkas care and protect another's children, but that still does not keep them safe from our enemies. So, we built this entire village underneath the city where K'norfkas and their bumgorfs live safely."

She had finally pulled the door open, and they were walking through the tunnel system. "But, you, your siblings, and Galfore do not live here," Zadkiel said.

Starfire was trying to remember her way around. "No, it's different because the royal family is a symbol of solidarity to others outside of Tamaran. But, Galfore takes us here a lot. He has friends who live here."

The tunnels seemed as roadways, leading to large, cavernous rooms filled with small homes. Zadkiel could hear a few children running about along with some chatting from adults nearby. It seemed as though everyone down here had formed their own sort of society and lived as such. They seemed to be enjoying the festivities in their own way. Starfire led Zadkiel through the small crowds, waving and greeting a few people she knew, promising that Galfore was not far behind her.

After a while, Starfire led him down some more tunnelways. "I think this is it," Starfire said, pushing on another vault door.

Opening the door, they were greeted by a full sensory experience to Tamaran's capital. The streets were particularly crowded, given the holiday. Over the din of ringing tinabulas were the typical sounds of haggling merchants and much laughter from Tamaraneans of all ages. Even a few Visirians were enjoying the festival. Starfire eagerly took Zadkiel's hand, and the two took to exploring the city. At first, it was a little frightening. Starfire had never been outside the palace on her own. She occasionally looked over her shoulder for any sign of Galfore. Despite Zadkiel's belief to the contrary, she knew Galfore would notice she was gone, and would stop at nothing until he found her. She was also not so sure about being among so many strangers at once. However, Zadkiel's excitement and awe at the goings on helped put her mind at ease.

The two spent the whole afternoon enjoying a part of Tamaran that neither had experienced before. Very few in the crowds took notice of them, and they were able to go about as they pleased. A few kindly vendors let them partake of free samples of traditional foods. Zadkiel still found Tamaranean cuisine an acquired taste, and was only able to choke down some of it. They were even able to take in the Blorthog parade. While Starfire could have easily hovered above the crowd to get a better view, she preferred to sit on Zadkiel's shoulders and tell him what she saw. Those who did see them found it odd for a Tamaranean and a Visiri to be so close. One or two thought it was adorable.

"We really should be going back," Starfire said as she led Zadkiel back towards the tunnels. She was already dreading the lecture Galfore would give her.

Zadkiel's ears perked and an odd scent filled his nostrils. "Is that-" he started to say.

They were shoved over by two dark blurs who were running, desperate to get away from something, or someone. As she sat up, Starfire noticed something caught on Zadkiel's horns. "Hold still," she said, trying to untangle it.

It was a necklace, Starfire realized, with a rather pretty blue stone. She was still struggling with it when she saw two Tmaranean guards approach. "Stop, thief!" they called.

If she had been using her reason, Starfire would have waited until they approached to to explain their situation. Though, they did not look like one's to be reasoned with, and instinct took over. She grabbed Zadkiel's arm, and they ran. Unfamiliar with the city, they ended up taking a very meandering path. They did have the advantage of being smaller, and were able to duck and weave among the crowds better. For a fleeting moment, they had gotten ahead of them, and had actually thought they had lost them. Their lack of knowledge of the city, though, caught up to them, and they had come down a dead end. The two guards were right on them in an instant.

XxX

"What in X'hal's name did you think you were doing?" Galfore said, his voice almost a thunderous roar.

Starfire, yet again, retold their story of the two _real_ thieves who had somehow dropped the necklace. Galfore looked carefully at her. He could always tell when she was lying. In this case, he knew she was telling the truth, but something did not add up. The guard's description of the thieves distinctly mentioned one being Tamaranean and the other Visiri. He knew of no other two who would have been together throughout the day. Needless to say, this did not look good. He decided instead, to focus on the more important matter. "None of this would have happened if you two had not been outside the palace in the first place. Do you have any idea what sort of danger you put yourself and him in? I had no idea where you were. If something had happened to you two…"

They were interrupted when both of their fathers came. Starfire knew they were in for it now. "Please tell me my guards are lying to me when they say that my daughter and her betrothed were caught stealing in the middle of Blorthog," Emperor Myand'r said, still in disbelief himself.

Galfore tried to stop him before he could go into a rant. "I believe there is a misunderstanding, yes," he began. "I think it was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He emphasized that last sentence with a strong look at Starfire. "And did either of them see the 'real' culprits?" Chief Raguel asked, not all that convinced.

Blackfire and Saraqael had joined them to see what all the commotion was about. Zadkiel nudged Starfire, tapping his nose. Almost instantly, she knew what he meant. He had recognized the thieves by their scent. Starfire looed aghast as she realized it was her sister. That should not have even been possible. She was supposed to have been in the middle of a lesson when all this transpired. So how? "Koriand'r?" Galfore said, snapping her out of her thuoghts.

"Did you see who stole this?" the guard repeated, holding up the necklace.

The shocked look of recognition on Blackfire's face was enough to confirm it for Starfire. Of course, Blackfire would deny it if she said anything. She could see a pleading look from Blackfire. She was still her sister, despite how distant they had been lately. "No," she lied.

Only Galfore caught it, but said nothing yet. Chief Raguel was still furious. "They would not have been anywhere near this if it was not for this foolish holiday."

The emperor's brow furrowed. "I'm sure your son had equal part in this. You care so little of his existence, it's no wonder he wanders off to X'hal knows where."

"You may be the Grand Ruler, but I am still in command of my people," Raguel roared. "Watch how you speak to me you…"

The words were on both their lips. It would all break loose in one fell swoop had it not been for Galfore. "Perhaps you may discuss this another time. We are diverging from the real issue."

Emperor Myand'r was the first to give. "Very well. I see that you are handling that, Galfore."

Chief Raguel had a smug grin as he muttered, "That's right, listen to your cinaedus."

Zadkiel looked horror stricken as he said it. "I do not understand," Starfire whispered to him. "Cinaedus means 'boy,' yes?"

He shook his head. "In a way, yes, but not in a nice way at all. I fear that we have caused a lot of trouble."

How true those words would be would not be known until later, but much sooner than either of them had expected.

* * *

 **Jump City – Present**

"Hmm…" Beast Boy was thinking, the tip of his tongue hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

He had taken the afternoon to go to lunch with Archangel and Starfire. Archangel's head was resting on his hand, inches away from slipping off and onto the table, he was so bored. "Please, for the love of Malakb, make a decision," he said.

Beast Boy waved him off. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Now, do I want to get a veggie burger, or a tofu burger…or I could do a double and have one of each."

"Whatever gets us out of here faster," Archangel said with a groan.

Beast Boy was not going to let him spoil his mood. "I'm actually glad I could find someone to try this new burger place with me," he said. "I thought Cyborg would for sure, since they also do meat, but he got some new parts and he's holed up in the garage."

"Raven expressed disinterest," Archangel said, "but told me her reason was that she was immersed in a new book."

Starfire sighed. "Robin said he was busy with his latest lead on Slade."

"Uh, Star…I don't think-" Beast Boy started to say, "ow, hey!" Archangel had kicked him under the table. "Geez, fine. I'll order already."

Starfire had gotten up for a moment after they ordered. "Okay, what the heck was that for?" Beast Boy asked as soon as she was gone.

"We all know the real reason Robin did not come," Archangel explained. "No need to remind her."

"So, what, are you and me her support group now?"

"No, now that they are not together, the rest of us are in the awkward position of trying to be both their friends while things settle out. Raven has a time schedule written out for all of this. Check with her."

"So, do you have scheduled time with Robin?" he asked.

Archangel was a little downcast. "No, Robin has expressed that he does not wish to see me all that often."

"Oh…"

"Do you think that may be part of the reason this has happened?" he asked worriedly.

Beast Boy reassured him. "Look, it might've come up, but knowing these two, it escalated into other stuff. Oh, look, lunch is here."

Starfire was rejoining them when the alarm from their communicators went off. "The museum," Starfire said, dashing off.

"But, it was the perfect burger," Beast Boy whined.

"It can wait," Archangel said, grabbing Beast Boy by the collar as he tried desperately to take just one bite.

XxX

Warp burst out of the museum doors, carrying his latest treasure. "The bow and arrows of Lagonna; an ancient treasure now, a lost legend in my time," he said to himself.

"Didn't anyone tell you to look but don't touch?" Robin called from the end of the street.

He, Raven, and Cyborg were already waiting for him. He turned his head to see Starfire, Beast Boy, and Archangel approaching from the other side. "Ah, the Teen Titans," he said. "You're a few minutes early. Forgive my nostalgia, but you were one of the greats. However, it's time to make history out of you."

They hardly let him finish. Raven created portals, allowing Cyborg a more precise aim for his sonic cannon. The first blast knocked Warp off his feet. "I see you have improved your technique," he said, as he stood, "but remember, I'm the one gifted with hindsight."

Cyborg and Raven had already taken to throwing heavy objects at him. Warp hardly flinched, tapped a button on the wrist of his suit, freezing the objects in time. Turning another dial, he managed to rewind them, thereby throwing the objects right back at them. Cyborg was knocked back, but Raven had dodged the debris. She tried pelting him with spells. The reflectors on his armor turned this way and that as he reflected them away.

Getting frustrated, she resorted to a binding spell. Arms and legs held fast, she had him. He only struggled momentarily before using his suit to open another wormhole, and disappeared. He had dropped the artifact in the initial struggle. She knew he had to come back. He appeared right behind her and grabbed her. "No one touches me," she said, the anger bubbling over. "Azarath, ah-"

An electrical surge from his suit shocked her and temporarily incapacitated her. Warp could not savor this momentary victory. He was knocked in the side of the head by two hooves. Beast Boy transitioned out of horse form. "That's for Raven," he said snidely.

Warp stumbled as he tried to stand up. Beast Boy had already turned into a tiger. It was all Warp could do to barely miss the tiger leaping at him from all angels. Beast Boy was quick when he was in a fury. He was getting close to having warp backed into a corner. But as he made his final leap, Warp slid under him and Beast Boy crashed into the outside shelves of the store in front of him. Warp pushed a few more buttons, and the next thing Beast Boy knew, he was stuck in a time loop, repeating that crash over and over again.

Warp made a dash to retrieve his prize. He barely swiped it before his fingers were almost hit by a ball of fire. Looking up, he saw Archangel and Starfire buzzing overhead, pelting the ground around him with flames and starbolts. He smirked, moving carefully. "I must've overshot my destination by a few months. I had not expected the Fallen Angel to be involved."

"It's Archangel," he corrected, launching flames in his direction.

Warp narrowly missed them and had an arrow notched in the bow. "Of course," he said, realizing how silly it sounded, "I had forgotten that used to be your name."

He let loose the arrow, and it struck, straight through Archangel's left wing. He howled in pain before he crumpled and plummeted to the ground. There was still the matter of Starfire, and seeing her friend injured, she was not to be messed with. Warp ran, and ducked around several corners, able to at least temporarily lose her. Perhaps it would be enough to get back to his own time.

He started turning the dial on his suit, setting the right coordinates, when a series of smoke bombs went off, distracting him. Robin had been waiting for him, and Cyborg was there to help. Before the smoke had even cleared, Robin had shot off several grappling hooks, all of them entangling Warp. As Robin pulled the wires taut, Cyborg charged at Warp, one of his arms transformed into a chainsaw. He was taking aim at the dial at the center of Warp's suit.

Knowing it was his lifeline to his own time, Warp reacted quickly. With a last-ditch effort of strength, he snapped the chords binding him and caught Cyborg's chainsaw from the side. The two struggled, pushing each other back. Robin tried to step in and was able to get behind Warp, hoping to distract him long enough to prevent him from time traveling. However, he sensed he still had the upper hand. "Your teamwork and technique are remarkable," he said. "Good thing I did my research."

Using all his strength, he lifted Cyborg and flipped him over his head, and onto Robin. Cyborg had to shut down his saw to avoid hurting his teammate. Warp was not in the clear just yet. Starfire had caught up to him, and she had a history with him. Eyes glowing, she launched herself full-throttle at him. The wind was knocked out of him as the two collided. She had him pinned, trying to wrestle the bow out of his grip. "How do you keep returning?" she asked, surprised by how tight he held on. It must have been the suit; good for more than just time travel.

"My dear, don't you see it?" he replied. "In my time, there is no one to stop me."

While deeply concerning to her, Starfire did not let it show as she tried to scare him off using her eye beams. Warp narrowly avoided her, and managed to take the advantage. Getting off of her, he finally set his dial to open up the wormhole. "Ta-ta for now, Titans," he said. "I enjoy these meetings. It's not every day you meet long-lost heroes."

Raven and Beast Boy tried to catch him before he disappeared through the hole, but missed him by less than a second. "Dang it! He got away," Beast Boy groaned.

"No use crying over spilled milk," Cyborg said, trying to stay positive. "We'll get him next time."

Robin helped Starfire to her feet. "Except that 'next time' means nothing to Warp."

"Where is…" Starfire began to say, but gasped as she looked behind her.

Archangel still lay in a heap on the street, the bronze arrow still sticking out of his wing. He was not conscious, and a small pool of blood had started to form.

XxX

Archangel was still unconscious as he lay in the Titans' medbay. Cyborg and Raven tended to him. Cyborg kept vigilant watch on his vitals. "It just doesn't make sense," he said to himself.

The doors slid open and the others entered. "Any changes?" Starfire asked hopefully.

"What exactly happened?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg sighed. "Nothing yet, he said, answering Starfire's question. "So far, just a concussion a few bruised ribs. Raven's taking care of the ribs, and I won't know much about the head injury until he wakes up. I'm going to try and remove the arrow."

It was still lodged in the upper part of his left wing, just below the joints. Cyborg knew it wasn't the best idea, but given that it wasn't near any important blood vessels, he cut off the feathers, and pushed the arrow completely through. More blood fell onto the floor. It was Starfire who became particularly alarmed. "Something is wrong!" she said. "His blood, it is the wrong color."

Cyborg and Raven only stared for a moment. It looked normal to them, but then, Archangel was not human. Cyborg went back to the computer screens. "Then that may explain this anomaly," he said, thinking aloud. "He's had a fever ever since we got him back here, not a big one, but noticeable. It hasn't risen yet."

"But what would cause that?" Robin asked?

Before Cyborg had a chance to muse on the idea, several alarms went off on the monitors, and Archangel started to convulse. "Fever's starting to spike," Cyborg called out, trying not to panic.

"Could use a little help here," Raven said, trying to hold him down.

Cyborg and Robin pitched in and were able to get him temporarily calmed as the fever waved subsided. It was only then that Cyborg noticed a slight reddening of the skin on his wing where the arrow had been. It gave him an idea. Quickly, he made a quick tourniquet to prevent too much blood circulation from the wing. Moving over to his right side, Cyborg drew a small sample of blood. It was a dark orange this time, and he assumed since Starfire said nothing about it, that this was its normal color. "Um, what are you…" Beast Boy started to ask.

Cyborg did not listen, placing the sample on a petri dish. He then scraped off a few flakes from the bronze tip of the arrow. Upon making contact, the blood turned red. "I'll have to run some tests to figure out what exactly is happening, but it looks like his body is having a reaction to bronze. Guess we figured out his kryptonite."

"Never a good thing," Raven said. "Anything we can do?"

Cyborg kept clacking away on the keyboard. "I won't know exactly what it's doing until I run it through our systems, but on the surface of things, it's corroding his blood. Now, there may be something to help that. There's a lab working with something called Benzotriethetone. Looking at these descriptions, I can maybe make a cure from that. Raven, I need you to use your magic to try and keep this from reaching his full circulation system. That'll buy us more time. Beast Boy, there are a few other things we'll need."

"Aye, aye!" Beast Boy said before bounding off with the list in the form of a German shepherd.

"Robin and Starfire," said Cyborg, "I need you to go get the Benzotriethetone."

The two exchanged an awkward look. They had never been alone together on assignment since their breakup. "Both of us?" Robin asked, just to be sure.

Cyborg hardly looked up from his screens. "Yes, with your security clearance and connections, you would be able to go and obtain the Benzotriethetone. However, this is a highly sought-after lab. Starfire needs to be there in case there is trouble."

"Is that necessary?" Robin asked.

Cyborg shrugged. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But the more you stay here talking about it, the sooner the bronze fully reaches his circulation system."

That already convinced Starfire, and she tugged on Robin's arm. Robin hesitated, but yielded in the face of the severity of the situation. This was, by no means, an ideal situation. There was so much awkward silence between them these days. This was mostly his doing. He had no idea how to deal with this change in their relationship. On the one hand, he needed her. If anything, he wanted her around, as his friend once more. And he knew that she wanted that too. On the other hand, he could not face her. It hurt too much. She wanted time to think, after all. He was giving it to her.

By now, her arms were already wrapped around him as she sat behind him on the motorcycle. Darn!

XxX

They had been admitted into the vaults of Pemasel Labs easily. A lab assistant guided them down the halls. As they swiped their keycard for the right door and it swished open, it was apparent that something was wrong. Several slots on the shelves were empty. "They still have to be here," Robin said. "This room is sealed."

"You got that right," a distorted voice said from above.

Red X jumped down from the ceiling, various capsules strapped to his belt. Robin gritted his teeth. He could just sense the smug grin on Red X's face. "What are you doing here?" he said. "Last I knew, you stole for yourself. What do you need with all this?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Red X said in a mocking tone. "But you're right. These aren't for me. They're for an employer who will pay me."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Slade."

Red X only shook his head, taunting him. "You wish."

He vaulted over the two of them and ran down the halls, trying to make his exit. Starfire was the one who had the advantage and flew straight after him. She easily got ahead of him, bringing him to a sudden halt. Her glare was fierce. "You will hand over the Benzotriethetone, and you will return what you have stolen."

Red X seemed surprised. He held up a vial containing a bluish liquid. "Oh, so this is what you're after?" he said, shaking it a little. "Hmm, would be a shame if I suddenly dropped it."

She tried to make a grab for it, but he tossed it into his other hand before she could react. "Please, do not…" she pleaded.

"Tell you what, cutie," he said. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll trade you this for a kiss."

She hauled off and punched him between the eyes in response, leaving him incredibly dazed. She grabbed the vial and the rest of his stolen goods and took off. Red X managed to recover and threw an adhesive X at her. It wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides, and she was tripped up. While she struggled, Red X took back his treasure. "Not letting a good paycheck get away that easily," he said before running again.

He practically skidded to a stop when he saw Robin. "Had I know this stuff was so important, I would've charged him more," Red X muttered to himself.

"Let's just say it's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Robin said, whipping out his staff.

Red X had one of his own, except it was more like two welded together to form an X. He noted Robin's surprise. "Gotta protect my assets, you know."

Robin regained focus and the two went at it, exchanging blows. With the X-shaped staff, it was hard for Robin to find holes in Red X's defenses to get through. A few times, he had tried to keep him busy enough to attack with some of his other tools. Smoke bombs, exploding disks, birdaranges; nothing seemed to faze Red X. Robin could not tell what annoyed him more: the fact that he could not get ahead of Red X, or the fact that Red X knew it too. He could feel the smug sense of confidence lurking behind the mask.

Little did he know that Red X had a plan of his own. Putting a little more force behind his attack, he shoved Robin back a ways, putting some good distance between them. "Sorry to cut this short," he said, revealing a small handful of little, metal X's, "but my employer hates to wait."

He threw them out like ninja stars. They instantly stuck through Robin's cape, and pinned him to the wall. Momentarily stuck, it was Red X's chance to escape. As he ran down the hall, he was almost sure he would get away. The sound of doors opening and weapons being loaded just on the other side of his exit told him otherwise, though. Curse the cops, and the one time they actually show up to a crime in progress, he thought. He looked behind him. Starfire and Robin were also catching up. Time to weigh some options. He only wished someone was around to see the wicked smile behind his mask.

He turned to face Starfire and Robin. "You want this so bad?" he said, holding the vial. "Then take it. It's more trouble than it's worth."

He tossed it in the air, and Robin only barely caught it before it hit the ground. He scrambled up just before Red X took his leave. All of them could now hear the police on the other side. "Time's up, X," Robin said, rather pleased with himself.

Red X never wavered. "Oh, I don't think so. Last time I checked, you two will be the only ones on the security cameras. Looks like the shoe's on the other foot. Later, Titans."

Pressing a button on his belt, he seemed to vanish. Robin cursed under his breath. Starfire was more concerned with the doors being forced open. Instinct took over, and she yanked Robin by the cape and ran.

XxX

Beast Boy hummed to himself as he perused the shelves at the pharmacy. True, he was worried about his friend, but humming calmed his nerves and helped him think straight in a crisis. He did not know how Robin and Starfire were fairing, but he was pretty sure he had the easiest job. He only had one or two more items off of Cyborg's list to get. "Let me see, next thing is Burn B Gone," he said to himself. Cyborg said he needed something to treat the red, irritated area on Archangel's wing. "Should be easy enough."

As he came to the shelf, he thanked his lucky stars. "Score! I got the last one."

As he reached out for it, another hand knocked into his. Surprised by the sudden stranger, Beast Boy turned only to find himself shocked. It was Gizmo. "Back off, snotwad!" Gizmo yelled. "I saw it first. What are you even doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Beast Boy said. "Where's the rest of the HIVE?"

"None of your beeswax! I'm here for me. I need that. Heck, I was going to pay for that. Now, outta my way!"

As he shoved Beast Boy over, a vengeful gleam came to his eye, and he turned into a tiger. The pharmacist behind the counter had started to take cover.

XxX

Starfire had hardly given Robin time to think, she had bolted so fast. It was all he could do just to keep up with her. He was just about to tell her to stop when she pulled him into a room and slammed the door. Only after they were both sure the lock was secure did they turn around to find themselves in the surveillance room. "Just great," Robin mumbled. "Well, let's see what sort of trouble Red X has gotten us in."

He began tinkering with the machines, trying to rewind the tapes to their entrance. Starfire was right behind him. "Uh, Star," he said, "do you have to be that close? I'm trying to concentrate, and I don't need-"

Starfire had already zipped over to the far corner of the room. Robin had moved from his sad-phase to his angry one since their breakup. While Starfire was not one to put up with him when he was angry, she also knew to avoid provoking him. He had finally found what he was looking for, and he was already cursing under his breath. "Red X is good," he said. "He used some sort of cloaking mechanism to hide any trace of him on the camera. We're the only ones here, as far as they're concerned, and it doesn't look good."

Starfire watched the tapes as Robin played them back. He was right. It did look like they had stolen the chemicals. "Surely we can explain to the police that-" she began.

"Any chance we had of that was gone when you ran," Robin said. "Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"I do not know. I was scared, and I…I just do not know," she replied, becoming upset.

Robin tried to calm her. "Look, there's no changing that now. The best thing we can do to clear ourselves is to catch Red X. Starfire looked at the vial in her hands. "But what about Archie? We need to-"

Robin grabbed her shoulders. "Star, listen to me. We're being chased down by the cops, and we're outside of Jump City. They don't know us from Adam. Red X is about to hand over god-knows-what to god-knows-who. We've got bigger things to worry about. Archangel will be fine. Cyborg and Raven wouldn't let anything happen to him."

She nodded, only a little comforted with that thought. Robin was still formulating a plan. "Red X can't have gotten far yet. Security's still tight. He may still be up in the…"

Before he could finish, Starfire had blasted a small hole in the ceiling, giving them an escape route. "Up in the ventilation," he finished as debris rained down on his hair.

She had already flown up into the vents, and he scrambled to catch up with her. The only flaw to this plan, though, was that they had no idea where they were going. They had no clue where Red X was or even where to go to leave. "What I wouldn't give for Raven to be here right now," Robin thought, wishing for her ability to sense people. Starfire jumped a few times when she thought she heard the police underneath them. Crawling along blindly, they traversed the labyrinth of the building.

After a long time of crawling along, Robin and Starfire heard a loud thump just ahead. Starfire eagerly shuffled along with Robin close behind. Coming around a corner to a crossway, they saw Red X up ahead. He conveyed as much surprise as he could behind a mask, but soon regained his cool. "Not so easy when you're on this end, is it?" he said.

Robin and Starfire did not respond, but chased after him. A small portion of the side of the building blew off, and Red X scrambled out is "homemade" exit, Robin and Starfire on his heels. They did split up to try and find a way to cut him off.

Starfire sped on ahead to block any routes he might take. While things were still weird between her and Robin, there was no denying that they still had a good mesh of techniques as teammates. They knew how to tag-team to cut a villain off. She finally came to a stop and turned around to find that, as predicted, Red X had taken to that particular street. Red X skidded to a stop. As annoying as the Teen Titans were, they were worthy adversaries. "You just won't let this go, will you?" he said. "I gave you what you wanted."

"You have stolen from the labs," Starfire said. "You will return these ill-gotten items." Her hands began to glow.

"That's your problem," he said. "Life ain't so black and white. Loosen up a little. Or, well, in this case, don't." He threw two X-shaped devices which struck her hands, wrapped around them, and prevented her from using her starbolts.

Before she could fly at him, he threw another one, this one much larger. It struck the ground and just looked like a painted X on the street. But it suddenly sprung to life, the legs of the X snaked up and grabbed Starfire's legs, preventing her from getting anywhere. She tried getting him with her eye beams, but Red X could easily get away from that. "I'll let you think over what I said." He took off down the street.

Robin was not far behind. He only had enough time to cut Starfire's feet free before resuming his chase. Red X was vaulting over a chain-link fence when Robin finally caught up to him. What took him by surprise was that Red X was prepared. He had laid a field of X's on the ground. Upon stepping on one, Robin learned they were electrified. Thankfully, it only took one to figure it out. Like an intense game of hopscotch, Robin hopped and dodged around the triggers. But Red X had succeeded. The distraction took up enough time from Robin for him to gain even more of a lead.

With the distance between them, Robin tried throwing as many of his gadgets out to either stop him, or at least close that distance between them. But for everything he had, Red X had something to counter it. He cursed himself for making such an efficient suit.

However, Red X did not realize he was running right into their trap. He skidded to a stop in the road, caught between Starfire and Robin. "Nowhere to go now, X," Robin said, cautiously moving forward to close the gap.

He looked around and found that he was indeed at a disadvantage. But upon hearing the sound of sirens approaching, he knew he had to act fast. "Nowhere to go, except up," he said.

Red X took them by surprise. He bolted over to Robin, snatched a grappling hook off his belt, fired it at the nearest roof, and bounded off before either of them could realize what happened.

At least a dozen police cars surrounded them. After all, nobody knew it was Red X they were looking for. "Oh, this is just great," Robin muttered.

XxX

Gizmo was zipping away on his helicopter pack as a rhino came charging down the shelves of the pharmacy. "Gonna have to do better than that, foot-licker!" he taunted.

This only made Beast Boy press on further and he turned into a monkey to leap over the shelves and make a jump at Gizmo. He screeched and pounded his fists when the villain buzzed away in the nick of time. In his third attempt, he became a falcon, whizzing to catch up to the HIVE member. Just when he overtook him, he snatched up the Burn B Gone in his talons, smiling to himself. "Oh, no ya don't," Gizmo grumbled.

Metal tentacles sprung from his suit, and two of them wrapped around Beast Boy while another two grabbed the burn cream. This time, he did not stick around to gloat and took off, leaving Beast Boy still gulping in air after being strangled. "I'm not…done with…you yet," he said between breaths.

Gizmo was already out the door and did not hear him. He fumbled about, trying to get in his gyro ball of a getaway car. "C'mon, you piece of crud," he grumbled.

Beast Boy blindsided him as he tackled him. They wrestled about and tumbled on the sidewalk. "Back off, pit-muncher. It's mine!"

"I saw it first," Beast Boy grunted as he tried to pry it from him.

As the two fought, the Burn B Gone slipped out of their hands and rolled out into the street. Both boys looked on with horror-stricken faces as it slowly came to a stop in the middle of the road. Just as they gave a sigh of relief, a semi-truck ran over it, destroying it completely. Beast Boy's jaw dropped and Gizmo began blathering off a slew of curses. Neither could believe this bit of misfortune. They both sat up and winced at the practically-destroyed pharmacy. "So, wanna grab a soda?" Beast Boy laughed. "I'm buying."

XxX

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but we're not who you're looking for," Robin said, frustrated from having told this story for the sixth time. He knew the police were only doing their job, but sometimes, they could be a real pain.

Starfire remained silent through the whole ordeal. Fear, most likely, Robin reasoned. She had not even dared to meet the interviewing officer's eyes. "Uh huh," he said, clearly not buying it. "So, I'm to understand that you're superheroes, and you just got mixed up with a supervillain. Just what kind of a fool do you take me for?"

Both of them looked at each other, confused. "But it is the truth," Starfire said meekly.

He started straightening papers. "I see, and now tell me, why should I believe you're superheroes, and not supervillains?"

Robin hated having to play this card. "Look, if you just speak with my mentor, he can-"

"Who, Batman? Kid, you're not the first I've seen in that ridiculous getup. I'm not going to bother him over a silly fanboy gone rogue."

Robin ground his teeth with this statement. "And what exactly are you supposed to be?" he asked Starfire.

"I am from the planet Tamaran. If you do not believe that, then a sample of my DNA would-"

"Oh, I have no doubt you're from another world, sweetheart, but last time I checked, not all aliens were out to help mankind. For all I know, you're just another Kanamit."

Starfire looked puzzled. "I have never heard of these Kanamits. They were not dignitaries who visited…"

"Not now, Star," Robin interrupted. "So, let me see if I get this straight. You're going to arrest us and let the real culprit get away, all because you're too lazy to verify our claims?"

This did not sit well with the officer. "You supers are all alike. Can't tell who's the bad ones since you all cause the same amount of destruction. What's a couple less off the sreets?"

Robin grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Listen, you, I've had enough of this-"

"Robin," Starfire said, gripping his shoulder with that pleading look in her eyes.

He sighed and released the officer. Even angrier, he straightened his cap and tie and said brusquely, "Right then. I've got paperwork to file on you two. Could take a while. Until then, you're staying put."

The door slammed behind him. "What do we do now?" Starfire asked.

Robin was still fuming from the guy's rant about supers. "We get out of here and go get Red X is what we do. The guy didn't even know what a Tamaranean was, so I doubt this place is made to keep someone like you in."

He was already heading for the door. "Robin, wait," she called, sighing deeply. "Is what they say about us…being destructive, really true?"

This was not the first time this debate had come up about the need or lack thereof of supers, but it was probably the first time Starfire had heard any of it before. It was a complicated topic, at best. How could he begin to describe the debate that had been going on for years? And God forbid he even try to explain the related argument about alien supers. "You've got nothing to worry about," Robin lied. "Now, come on."

Once Starfire crushed the doorknob, sneaking out was a breeze. Smaller cities, like this, just were not prepared for people like them. "Okay, during that last scuffle with Red X, I managed to get a tracking device on him," Robin said as they got outside. "Provided he doesn't figure out it's on him, we should be good."

XxX

Beast Boy snuck back into the tower, too ashamed of his failed supply run. He was doing his best to creep past the medbay. "So, how'd that go?" Cyborg's voice hollered out the door.

How did he know? Oh, that's right. Raven could sense people nearby. Darn! "Oh, uh, okay," he answered, "but, uh, I had a little trouble at the pharmacy. You see, I ran into Gizmo and-"

"Whatever, not like I needed that stuff anyway."

"What?" Beast Boy asked indignantly. "Well, then what was the point of sending me out for all this junk?"

Cyborg hardly looked up. "Kept you busy, didn't it?"

The answer did not sit well with Beast Boy, but given the seriousness of the situation, he did not complain. "So, how is he?"

"'Fair,' is the best way to describe it," Cyborg answered. "He's still unconscious, but only spasmed a couple more times. He's stable for now, but Robin and Star had better get here soon."

"Agreed," Raven said. She had been concentrating quietly the whole time. "I can't keep this healing up for much longer. I just don't understand why his body doesn't respond fully to my magic."

Cyborg sighed. "Seriously though, what is taking them so long?"

XxX

"This way," Robin said, dashing around the conrer.

Red X had led them on a decent chase. It was all they could do to keep up. They had ducked through alleys, gone down unfamiliar streets, and had even gone around in circles a few times. Robin was almost certain that Red X had found the tracking device and had attached it to a dog or something, but for now, it was the only lead they had, and they had to follow it until it ran cold.

Though he was very close to giving up, the blinking light on his device finally stopped. "Must've stopped to catch his breath," Robin muttered to himself.

As they came around the last corner, they were actually surprised to find Red X. He had only just discovered the tracking device and was about to pull it off. "Thought it would be that easy to get away, didn't you?"

"Maybe I just wanted you to find me," he retorted. "Apparently, my employer said it was important I bring the Benzotriethetone. So, it seems like we can reach an agreement. Hand over the vial, and I'll make a grand show of leaving with it. The police will see me get away, and your names will be cleared."

On the one hand, that was a tempting offer. Of course, they could not let Red X get away, but with them cleared from the crime, they would have more freedom to try and catch him. However, when Robin looked and saw the worried expression on Starfire's face, he knew he would not do it. Their friend's life was on the line, even if Robin did not consider him too much of a friend right now. It was a risk not worth taking. "Sorry, but you'll have to take it from me."

"With pleasure."

Red X made a running dive for them. But just as he got close, they fizzled away, disappearing. "You forget, Red X," a voice said from behind him, "I designed the suit. I know how to make all your tricks happen."

Almost as if they had appeared out of nowhere," Robin and Starfire were right behind him. They had used some of his own hologram technology to fool him. He should have known. Likely, these two were holograms as well. "What's the matter?" Robin taunted. "Afraid of being beaten at your own game?"

Red X fumed and scoured the rooftops to see if he could find the real pair. They obviously wanted to keep him grounded. Sure enough, just out of the corner of his eye, he saw them just above. In a handful of elegant leaps, he was on the same rooftop and gave chase. He knew he had no hope of catching up to Starfire, but Robin had the vial anyway.

He followed them over the top of a building, and slid down the awning, right into a crowd of police officers. "But, but…" Red X stammered as he looked around, but could not find them in sight.

"Should've picked the ones behind you," Robin said as he and Starfire caught up to the scene. "Next time, don't overthink it."

"Or maybe you're just not thinking enough. Remember, I wanted to be found. Call me egotistical, but I couldn't stand the thought of you two taking credit for my work."

In an instant he vanished, a hologram himself. "Robin, what does this mean?" Starfire asked worriedly.

"It means whoever Red X was working for, he already gave him the stuff."

XxX

Very rarely had Robin ever spent any time just hanging out with Archangel, but the others had gotten so exhausted with his fuming over their loss against Red X, he had little option. Archangel had healed well enough from his injury after Robin and Starfire had returned. According to Cyborg, they were cutting it close. Raven thought he was exaggerating however. The two were stretching for a morning run on the island. Neither had really said a word.

"I understood you faced a dilemma of whether or not to save my life or to clear the trouble you and Starfire had gotten into," Archangel said a little stiffly.

"It wasn't like that," Robin defended. "I knew we'd save you. I just wanted to think of what was the best course of action against Red X. That still turned out a failure.

"Hm, I am glad then. I was worried our mutual dislike of each other would have clouded your judgment."

Robin was taken aback. "I never said I hated you."

"Nor did I," Archangel replied. "I said we dislike each other. I'm not all that fond of you, just as you are not all that fond of me."

"Well, if we're being honest about it…" Robin said sarcastically.

Archangel stood up to face him. "I'm merely stating known facts. You are not that hard to read. Besides, we are teammates. That doesn't mean we have to like each other all the time."

For a long time, the only sound that was heard was the ocean beating against the shores. "So, I know I haven't been the nicest to you after Star and I…you know. It's just a difficult change." Robin struggled as he tried to get the next part out. "So, now that we're even, I wanted to ask you something. When you came here to earth and learned that we were dating, how did you deal with it? And don't give me that stuff about wanting to see her truly happy and junk. I know that old line."

"Very well," Archangel chuckled. "I will tell you a little secret about Starfire. Truthfully, I would never speak of it with her. I'm too afraid. She is…well, she shares a particular quality with her father."

"She's determined?" Robin said.

"She is stubborn," Archangel corrected. "When she makes up her mind about anything, there is no changing it until she decides to."

Robin was not buying it. "C'mon, you're exaggerating."

"Okay then, tell me, in any disagreement you've had with her, when was the last time she apologized to you?"

"That's ridiculous. We've always both ended up…oh, my God, you're right."

Archangel nodded. "Ultimately, she may admit to you she was in the wrong, but only after you give in first. So, when I knew that she was with you, I knew there was no point trying to change her mind. If anything, even trying would hurt what friendship we still have."

"Oh," was all Robin could think to say. In a weird way, it did make some sense. "So, then what? Does this now make us rivals or something?"

"In a way, but there is no point towards exerting ourselves trying to sway her mind one way or the other."

"So, we just do nothing?"

Archangel was ready to start the run. "I never said that. There are much healthier means of engaging in this rivalry."

"Such as?"

"For example, whoever finishes the run first is buying lunch."

Robin was confused. "But you still don't understand the concept of money."

Archangel had already taken a head-start. "Which is why I do not intend to lose," he called back.

Robin rolled his eyes, and with a chuckle to himself went to catch up.

XxX

Red X threw his stash onto the desk of his employer. "Should've told me this stuff was going to be so much trouble to get."

A hand reached out from the shadows to examine his catch. "Well, let's see what you brought us, and I will tell you if it was worth the trouble." He began examining the vials, reading off the names as his mousy assistant took inventory. "Hm, now let's see: liquid kryptonite, metallic chromium, yes, it all appears to be here. Where's the Benzotriethetone?"

"A slight hiccup. Some do-gooders got away with it."

Red X hoped this would not hurt his pay. He was also wearily watching his surroundings. A lesson he had learned early: don't blindly trust an employer. "I see," was all he said. "These things happen."

The fact that his employer was not bothered by this failure sent up a million red flags for Red X. Still, he had to assess the situation. "Now then, my pay."

His unseen employer leaned back in his chair, fully obscuring himself in the shadows of the office. "Indeed, you are receiving one of the greatest payments we can give to 'your kind.' You are granted complete and total protection."

"Protection from what?" Red X asked suspiciously.

"You'll see. Of course, you will receive notification of what all this entails." Red X was handed a small tablet. "We'll call you when we pay up."

He took the device. "I was expecting a more 'physical' payment."

"I'm sure you were, but this, you will find, is much better. It's an investment for your future."

Red X shrugged, his hands gingerly moving towards his belt. "I'm more of an instant gratification guy."

A fist slammed down on the table before he could get too close. "You'll find that what we've given you is enough. Now, gentlemen, see our friend to the door."

Two hulking men picked Red X up by his arms and escorted him out. These were clearly not people not to mess around with, and he felt like he had made a bad decision. "And remember, Mr. X, Jupiter Corp. thanks you for your patronage."


	11. Episode 11: Weaknesses

**Episode 11: Weaknesses**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Well, unbelievably, we've done it. We've caught up to roughly where I'm at in the writing. That isn't a good thing. This particular chapter has been a pain in the ass to write, just because it's kind of brick wall for me for some unknown reason. I've only been able to push this wall inches at a time instead of the usual feet. That may mean that in the future, I'm going to be pressed into a pretty nasty time crunch to continue giving you these weekly updates. I'll try to manage, but it may not be perfect. For now, you are guaranteed two weeks of story without trouble, and I'm halfway through a third week. Fingers crossed! As always, never owned the Teen Titans._

* * *

 **Tamaran, 7 Years Ago**

Starfire had never felt more miserable in her life. She lay in the palace gardens, looking up at the sky, wishing it were all a cruel joke. Even though it had been almost a whole year since Zadkiel had left for good, and their betrothal had come to a sudden end, but all the pudding of sadness in the world could not make it hurt any less, and it certainly could not bring him back.

She had remembered vividly that day she had to say goodbye to him. She knew their fathers had fought before, but this time, as her father explained, there were some things that had been said that could not be unsaid.

Starfire had nearly broken down when she had to hug him for the last time. "I will miss you greatly," she said, fighting back tears.

She felt him sigh as he held her close, hands warm as they wrapped around her, his forehead pressed to hers. "On my world, we do not have a word for this 'goodbye,'" he said. "Instead, we say 'until we meet again.' And that is a promise I intend to keep."

She let her fingers run across the bridge of his nose, right where his scar was, remembering how they met. "I hope that is true," she said.

In her heart, she had known this was not so. This was the rekmas, the drifting apart of friends. He was not coming back. Her father had forbidden his people from returning. She sat back up, looking at the dull garden, desperately missing all the wonders he had shown her on his own home planet. She watched Galfore chasing around her brother as they played and sighed. They looked like they were having fun.

That was the other problem weighing on her mind. Starfire was getting older, and her father was beginning to express that her openly emotional nature was not becoming of a royal. It was now not just a childhood phase, but a potential weakness. It was…unfair, she realized, but it was her culture, her people's way of life.

Starfire looked at her reflection in the garden pond. She remembered that day when Zadkiel had told her not to let Blackfire's opinion of her shape who she would become. "Promise me, princess," he had said, "do not let them change who you are."

She threw a rock into the pond, watching the ripples shatter the reflection. "You are not here anymore," she shouted to the reflection. "What do you know?"

She knew she did not mean it, but she could stand it no longer. Unable to hide her sadness anymore, she ran back into the palace, tears streaming down her cheek. Her distress did not go unnoticed. As she passed by the library, Rulore heard her, and followed. Before Starfire could protest, she was already scooped up into her strong arms. She took her back to the library, where her mother was waiting patiently on one of the semi-circle couches. She turned off the reading light above, ready to talk. "I do not wish to interrupt," Starfire said, trying to find an excuse to just go.

"No one is interrupting anything," Rulore said, sitting Starfire between them. "It's not like we were doing anything important anyway."

"Ahem," her mother coughed.

Rulore kissed her forehead before sitting down herself. "Fine, the history of the Tamaranean War of the Clans has some importance," she sighed, "but we needed a break anyway. We're here to listen."

Starfire wanted nothing more than to make herself so small she could disappear. She had never realized how much she missed him and what he represented to her until he was gone. In fact, she had never realized what had been missing until then, as if a veil had been lifted. Now, with all of that gone, she had learned what she hated most. "I feel so alone," she said meekly.

The two women shared a look. While neither had been sad to see the chief and his warriors leave, they knew that it was not all for the best, but there was little that could have been done. "You miss him, I know," her mother said softly, holding her close.

"He understood," Starfire said, beginning to cry again, "Father says I have to…I cannot be myself. I do not want that, and he understood."

This was an even harder discussion to have, they both knew. Her mother sighed. "It is not that your father wants this to happen. He is just trying to protect you."

"From what?" She asked this between sobs and looked to each of them for a legitimate answer. "You say that all the time, but you never tell me what you are protecting me from."

Rulore could think of several answers. She had enough stories to tell about her time with the Gordanians, and the burn scars to prove it. She was tempted in that moment to explain, but knew better, to wait until she was older. "There are just many dangerous people out there, Koriand'r," she said instead, "people who, if they knew how you felt, and who you loved, would destroy you with it."

"We only do that because we are scared," Starfire grumbled, remembering something Zadkiel had told her. "If we did not let fear control us, we would find we had more friends who could help us."

Her mother stroked her hair, having a good idea where she got a notion like that. "Perhaps he was right, but when your father and I have so much to lose…" She looked deeply into her daughter's eyes. "It's a risk we cannot take."

"I still miss him," she said.

Rulore thought for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember what your mother calls me?"

"She is your grodsa'ar," Starfire answered.

Luand'r smiled at Rulore, thinking of fond memories. "Right, and do you know what that means?" Rulore continued.

Starfire thought for a moment. Such a word was an abstract concept, and not easily understood, even by adults. "It is a love greater than all others."

Rulore nodded. "Something like that, and what have I always said about it?"

"That we only have one chance in our lives to find our grodsa'ar," Starfire recited, having heard her say it so many times.

"Exactly. If that is anything like what you felt for him, then believe me, you two will find each other again. You go to great lengths to get back to them."

 **Jump City, Present**

A green dolphin jumped back and forth across the ocean playfully. Beast Boy transformed back into a human as he reached his friends relaxing on the beach. "Best afternoon ever!" he said, spitting out a mouthful of water. "Wish we could do this every day."

He had talked them all into a day at the beach. The weather was starting to get very hot, and it was perfect weather for it. Robin had takin to showing Starfire the art of building a sandcastle. Though still awkward at times, they were making their casual friendship situation work. Cyborg snoozed on the blanket under the umbrella while Raven sat a few inches away, curled up and reading. Archangel sat on a rock on the edge of the sea, enjoying the sensory experience of one of his favorite places on Earth.

Robin kept periodically checking his communicator. "Don't expect too many like it," he said. "Criminals get bored this time of year."

"Oh, I know, who wants to play chicken?" Beast Boy asked, ignoring Robin.

"The chickens are so adorable," Starfire beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "How might we play a game with them?"

"Um, it's not quite like that," Robin said, beginning to explain.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy took to looking for a teammate. "How 'bout it, Raven?" he asked.

"Do I look like I want to play?"

"Cy?"

He took a deep breath, not happy to be disturbed from his nap. "Look, I can make it if I need to in water, but the less time I put my circuits at risk, the better."

Archangel heard all the commotion and came to join them. "You are playing a game?" he asked.

Beast Boy shrugged. "You'll have to do. Okay, so one of us needs to get on the other's shoulders."

"Simple," Archangel said, picking him up.

Beast Boy sat atop the alien's shoulders. "Um, yeah, easy as that," he said awkwardly. "This could work." He grabbed Archangel's horns. "And hey, it's like I can steer you with these."

He started turning Archangel's head a bit, as the held the horns like a bicycle handlebar. "Do that again," Archangel said with a growl, "and I swear to Malakb, I will…"

"You guys going to play or what?" Robin called.

Archangel waded, waist-deep, in the water. "Oh, I so got this," Beast Boy said with a playful smirk. "Cy, you gonna ref?"

Cyborg only waved his hand. "Just don't kill each other, okay?"

Both Starfire and Archangel proved to be sturdy when it came to holding their partners up, so the match became more between Robin and Beast Boy. The two wrestled about, Robin seeming to take the advantage. "No powers, right Beast Boy?" Robin said.

In truth, Beast Boy had been thinking about it. "Wouldn't dream of it," he lied. "Hey, what's that over there?"

"You really think I'm that stupid?"

Beast Boy grunted, briefly escaping Robin's grip. "I was hoping, but this'll have to do."

His hands pushed Robin square in the chest, and he toppled off of Starfire's shoulders. "Whoo! We did it. Nice work, goat-boy."

Beast Boy did not get too much time to gloat both he and Archangel were tackled by Starfire. Robin had righted himself as he was standing behind her. "Uh, Star, chicken isn't a tag-team sport."

Beast Boy splashed up. "What gives, Star?"

"Minor error in explaining the rules," Robin said.

Starfire, however, had other concerns. "Where is Archie?"

Archangel slowly came to, feeling an odd sensation in his lungs. He was breathing, somewhat, but it felt forced, like he was not the one controlling it. As he opened his eyes, he realized that it was because of a rather intimate gesture from Beast Boy. He bolted up, forcing Beast Boy off of him and started retching water. "What were you doing?" he shouted between gasps.

"Uh, saving your life," Beast Boy said, crossing his arms. "Mouth to mouth was the only way, so don't flatter yourself."

Archangel was still coughing and sputtering. "You almost drowned," Robin said, "in shallow water."

"You may have noticed on my homeworld, there are no large bodies of water," Archangel answered. "I never learned how to swim. I thought I would be fine in shallow waters until someone made me lose my orientation."

He stopped Starfire before she could get into the five-hundred verses of the Poem of Apology. "And with your fire powers," Cyborg added, "I imagine you and water do not mix."

"Call it a weakness then," Archangel laughed hoarsely.

Robin folded his arms, thinking deeply. "It's been a while since we've done any serious training to work on team weaknesses."

"Do not feel as though you must be doing anything special on my account."

"No, really, we all need it. Starting after lunch, that'll be the first thing we do. In fact, I've got a particular idea on how we can do this."

"Way to go, goat-boy," Beast Boy said sarcastically, clapping Archangel on the back. "Just what we needed: more training."

The training grounds outside the tower had been drastically reorganized. The usual course was replaced with metal-reinforced walls, forming a maze-like structure. Robin stood outside, pacing. "There are going to be situations," he began, "where a strength of yours that you take for granted is going to be taken from you, and only one or two of us is equipped to handle that situation. The idea of these training sessions is to prepare you for these moments of weakness. Each of us is going to come up with a different exercise for the rest of us. The idea is to give each other a weakness to deal with. Archangel's come up with this one."

Archangel crossed his arms. "Yes, well, one of the greatest challenges I've faced is overcoming my inability to see. There may indeed come a time when a villain presents a weapon or a power that will inhibit your ability to see. I have devised this course to train for that. There is a test dummy hidden within this maze. Your objective is to retrieve it. Certain obstacles will pop up in the maze. Avoid or fight them off. You will do all of this blindfolded."

"Sounds easy enough," Cyborg said with a shrug.

Robin smiled. "I had a feeling you might see that. I designed these special blindfolds for everyone so that they cannot bypass them with their powers. Remember, this is to test your ability to work without sight. So, Cyborg, your sensors cannot simply use X-ray vision to get past these."

"Aw, man," Cyborg grumbled.

"Starfire's and Raven's cannot be blasted away by their powers."

Raven held the black cloth. "These obstacles are to mimic people right?" she asked. "Are they going to have human simulation?"

"You mean will you be able to sense them?" Archangel said. "We have designed some of them to mimic pheromones of humans expressing fear or anger to see if you can identify civilians over an enemy, but no, they will not have what you require to sense their emotional presence."

Raven sighed. "I can work with that."

"Beast Boy's will change shape with him," Robin continued, "so it won't 'just happen' to fall off."

Beast Boy scoffed, "What makes you think I would cheat like that? I've already got a foolproof plan."

"Whatever." Robin began to cover his own eyes with his blindfold. All five heroes stood at the start of the maze. "Fire it up, Archangel."

Archangel stood at the control panel, and pushed a button, starting the timer. The five Titans rushed into the maze.

Robin felt somewhat confident. He had handled a similar challenge while in search of the One True Master. However, upon entering the maze, there was not too much of a challenge. There were no noises he was listening for. He just had to figure out where to go. This meant stumbling around and feeling for the walls. He figured Archangel probably figured this stuff out by smell, and could determine how far he was away from people and walls. Certainly something he would need to work on.

Starfire also felt as though she had an advantage. She had known Archangel for some time. She thought she had observed all his usual techniques and tricks for navigating. This proved harder than she thought. She heard some sounds in the distance of what she assumed to be the obstacles, and headed for them. That was simple enough. When she found a passage where plastic discs were being launched at them, she found it was very tricky. She tried listening for them, but there were too many sounds and they went by too fast. She just wanted to get out of the maze at this point.

While Cyborg was a bit unsure of this exercise, he did come up with a clever solution. To navigate the maze, he felt around on his arm until he was able to turn on some sonar settings. Like a bat, he would get a ping every time he got close to a wall. Too easy, he thought. He was not sure what he would do for the other obstacles, but he was set for now.

Raven felt pretty powerless. Her original plan to try extending her sensing abilities fell flat. With no living beings, other than her teammates nearby, she did not have any idea how to figure the layout of the maze. What she could do was send her soul self out to try and destroy any obstacles before she took a step. It was not the best method, but it would do for now.

Beast Boy felt like he was on top of the world. With an arsenal of any animal at his beck and call, eh could transform into enough stuff to smell, hear, and feel everything around him. He handled every obstacle with ease. So confident in his abilities, he had forgotten he was not the only occupant of the maze. Out of nowhere, he slammed head-first into someone.

A buzzer went off, and the timer stopped. "Okay, stop for now," Archangel said with a sigh.

Beast Boy sat up, his head spinning. "Ugh, I feel like I just got hit by a truck."

Cyborg was running up to him, his blindfold already off. He quickly assessed the situation and knew who he had run into. "More like a Tamaranean, but same thing practically."

Cyborg and Robin decided to combine their efforts for the next exercise. "So, what do all four of you have that Cyborg and I don't?" Robin asked.

Beast Boy already had a witty remark at the ready, but Cyborg stopped him before he could get too far. "We can't fly."

Beast Boy deflated a little. "Oh…"

Robin continued. "So, we've devised a couple of exercises that will test your flight abilities, and challenge you to go without them. Your first task: climb that cliff without flying."

The four Titans turned around. That now explained why they had left the tower for this drill. Before them was a tall cliff local rock climbers used. Indeed, the boys had set them up with a good challenge.

It was several minutes later when Archangel heaved himself up onto a ledge. He lay there, catching his breath, his chest getting large as he took in deep breaths of air. It had been far too long since he had ever done such climbing. "Archie, you must proceed in the catching up," Starfire called from above. "Beast Boy has already reached the top."

Indeed, if anything had been proven during their training, it was that Beast Boy did in fact have the skills to fit any challenge. "You know what, you can just…" Archangel began, in no mood for more bragging about Beast Boy.

"C'mon slowpokes!" Beast Boy hollered.

Archangel grunted and grumbled to himself, but managed to get up and continue his climb. It seemed to be Raven who struggled the most. She did not have a plethora of options like Beast Boy. She did not have Starfire's strength. Nor did she have any natural skills in climbing, like Archangel. She only had magic, and she could not use her levitating abilities.

Raven had barely made it a quarter of the way up. Physical challenges were not her forte. She assessed her situation once more. There had to be something she was missing, some trick she could use to get out of this situation. That was the point, right? To think creatively to solve a problem in less than ideal conditions? Wait! That was it!

Robin said she could not use her levitation abilities to fly herself, but he had not said anything about the rock itself. Concentrating hard, she tore off small pieces of the cliff, big enough for her to walk on with ease. Slowly, she used those pieces to form a levitating staircase of sorts. It required a lot of her energy, but she was able to use that to beat Archangel and even Starfire to the top. She was exhausted when she reached it though.

For the next exercise, they were allowed to fly, and in fact encouraged to do so. The next lesson involved maintaining their balance in flight as Robin and Cyborg shot projectiles in their direction. Beast Boy, at first, excelled because he could keep changing into smaller and smaller flying creatures, until Cyborg shot him with something flat enough to catch him in bug form. It was Archangel who really did well by hearing the objects as they soared by. Raven and Starfire had speed on their side, but they did get tripped up a few times. "Remember, you're supposed to not let a distraction stop your concentration."

Beast Boy heaved a flat piece of metal off of himself. "Yeah, and I'm sure this wasn't an excuse just to throw stuff at me."

Cyborg shrugged, trying to fake innocence. "It may have been a nice perk."

Because Starfire and Raven's powers relied on emotions, the two were able to devise a way to have the boys work on controlling their emotional reactions in battle. Raven conjured false visions of villains they had faced to elicit certain emotional responses from the boys. She did not try anything too drastic, like having Robin face Slade, but she did occasionally push her friends' limits. Starfire added other sounds and smells to add to the emotional atmosphere from her place at the control panel. This was mostly for Archangel's benefit, but it did help keep the others on their toes.

"Did you really have to use those pheromones?" Beast Boy asked, glad to be done with the test.

Raven answered dryly. "Hey, not all villains are going to try and distract you with anger or your past. Some will try to seduce you."

Archangel still kept his head low, his face red as a beet. "Well, Starfire did not have to use so much."

Cyborg clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, it's a natural reaction. Could've happened to anyone."

That was little comfort, and it did not make him feel better to learn what was coming next. With Beast Boy in charge of the next drill, everyone was apprehensive. He seemed to have an entire list of stuff he wanted to do. Robin was, in fact, surprised, considering Beast Boy was always the first to complain about training.

Yet, here they were, back at the beach, ready for his swim lessons. "Okay, dudes, swimming is real easy," he began.

"Yeah, because you can sprout gills," Raven said.

He ignored that comment. "All you have to worry about is your feet. They're what keep you moving.

"And breathing?" Archangel asked apprehensively.

"Pfft, easy. You just have to know your limits and how to not waste what air you have. You've got an advantage there, goat boy. Now…"

Unfortunately, it was not much of an advantage. Hooves proved to not be all that useful compared to feet. And with water rushing through his ears and nose, he found himself disoriented fast. "It'll just take some getting used to," Beast Boy said, trying to reassure him. "You usually figure out how to find your way around places."

Robin was trying to drain some water out of his ears. "You know what, I call this a full day. How about a break for pizza?"

"That was an awesome training session!" Beast Boy said. "Can we do it again?"

Everyone was still getting used to seeing Beast Boy actually excited about training. Archangel only lay flopped on the bench of their table. "I am glad you are happy, but I cannot say the same for myself," he said.

Raven nudged for him to sit up while she sat beside him. She too looked very exhausted. "Well, of course Beast Boy enjoyed it. He was the only one actually succeeding."

Cyborg was already busy loading their training stats into his system. "Well, not like he was perfect, but yeah, he did do pretty good."

"Well, it's probably pretty easy when you can turn into any animal," Raven said, burying herself into reading the menu.

Beast Boy puffed out his chest. "It's called adaptability."

Robin nodded. "More often than not, Beast Boy's ability to choose from different adaptations was what helped him at least endure most of the challenges."

This compliment from Robin gave Beast Boy a new sense of ego, and it ws not wasted on the usual fight he had with Cyborg over what kind of pizza to get. Everyone, by now, had learned to just stay out of the way of this fight so as to order quicker. Starfire only occasionally would add in a suggestion for such an odd combination, and nobody could decide whether to laugh or explain to her why it did not work.

Only the beeps of their communicators put a stop to the argument. "Every single time!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "C'mon, heroes gotta eat too."

"Come on," Raven said, dragging him along.

While Mumbo Jumbo was considered more of a nuisance than a threat, he was still an issue to be taken seriously. Thankfully, he rarely strayed from his MO. The Titans had already arrived at the bank he had chosen to rob this time. "Your act's starting to go stale," Robin said. "You just perform the same old tricks."

He jolted, hearing their voices, but then recovered by saying, "Well, you know what they say: practice makes perfect."

A swarm of white doves flew out of his coat sleeves, blocking the Titans' visual of him long enough for Mumbo to disappear. "After him!" Robin called.

Cyborg and Raven had the best odds of finding him. Between her ability to sense living presences, and his sonic monitor, they could at least somewhat track him. Still, Mumbo was known for his unpredictability, and Cyborg and Raven found themselves dodging and wearing through random streets, hot on his trail. Not surprisingly, they ended up running into each other, still no physical sign of Mumbo.

"Maybe he's been running through the sewers," Cyborg said.

"Or over the rooftops," Raven said. "Face it, he could be anywhere."

Cyborg pounded his fist against a wall. "There has to be some way to figure out his tricks."

"Ah, ah, ah," a voice said. "A magician never reveals his tricks."

A line of colorful handkerchiefs tied together fell upon them, entangling them and eventually tying the two together. Mumbo had been waiting for them in the alley. He smirked. "Now then, where are the rest of my lovely volunteers from the audience?" he said to himself.

"Right here," Robin called, opening his bo staff to its full length.

"Hm, neat trick," Mumbo said, pulling his own wand, which also sprung open, "but it's been done before."

Twirling it like it was nothing, he took to a quick melee with Robin. He was actually surprised Mumbo could keep up with him. Perhaps he had been practicing to make himself more of a threat. Still, this fight did not come without the usual silliness expected of Mumbo. Every time his wand struck Robin's staff, some cheesy magic prop would pop out. Flowers, handkerchiefs, feathers, everything kept coming out of the end. It was a good distraction technique. Robin had to admit, and it always took him by surprise.

When white smoke billowed out of the end, Robin knew he needed to act fast or Mumbo would make his getaway. What he did not expect was to find himself trapped in one of Mumbo's magic boxes. "Time for a brief intermission," Mumbo giggled to himself.

He ducked around an alley, almost hit by a blast of flames. Archangel was just overhead. "This next trick's going to get a little dangerous," he said.

As if coming from nowhere, Mumbo seemed to pull several chainsaws from his coat and started juggling them. This at least gave him a barrier between him and Archangel, who was trying to find an opening to attack. The constant whirring of chainsaws kept him at bay, though. He tried launching flames at him, only to have the magician swiftly vanish from point to point.

Frustrated with so little success, Archangel took out his horn. That seemed to rattle Mumbo, and he dropped his juggling act, narrowly missing being sawed in half. "I don't take kindly to hecklers," he said. "Mumbo Jumbo!"

Under the spell, Archangel was wrapped in a strait jacket and tied with chains. He became land-bound as a result. "Let's see if you get out of that," he said triumphantly.

That only left… A starbolt blasted the wall behind him. He also saw a green bull rounding the corner. Not to worry, there were still plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He quickly conjured up a red cape and proceeded to taunt Beast Boy like a matador, all the while deftly avoiding Starfire's attacks. "Well, you've been a wonderful audience," Mumbo said, throwing up the cape, "but I really must be going now."

As the cape came down and covered him, he vanished. Starfire pulled it up, as if hoping he might still be under there. "Ugh, magicians," Beast Boy groaned.

It was not as though he left a hard trail to follow. Starfire and Beast Boy were able to catch up to him. "Hm, time for a classic," Mumbo said, reaching for his hat.

"Watch out!" Starfire called. "We do not wish to be in his hat of unpleasantness again."

Instead, Mumbo began to pull out two long ears, and it soon became apparent that what was in there was much bigger than the hat. Before them stood a tall, giant white rabbit. "Take good care of Nibbles for me, will ya?" he called, dashing on ahead.

The large rabbit, which was almost as tall as some of the buildings, stood there for a moment, his nose twitching. "Oh, he is so adorable!" Starfire squealed.

"Um, yeah, Star," Beast Boy said, "but it's a giant rabbit!"

At Beast Boy's outburst, it started making loud, ground-rattling hops away. "And now we gotta go stop it before it destroys the city," said Beast Boy.

"Just great."

That should keep them busy for a while, Mumbo thought. But just as he turned around to stroll away, Raven was already waiting for him. "Show's over," she said in a low voice, bordering on a growl.

"Ah, I see it's time for my grand finale," Mumbo said.

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You going to put us in the hat again?" she asked.

He smirked. "You wish."

It seemed as though every trick he had magically burst from his hat. Every trap spilled out, capturing any loose Titans that may still have been running around. Mumbo was willing to let things go, but the Titans had persisted. Now, it was personal.

XxX

For the second time today, Beast Boy felt as though he had been hit by a truck. As his head slowly lolled over to one side, he started to come to. Only vague flashes of the moments before came back to him. He remembered Mumbo robbing a bank, and for some reason, he could not stop thinking about rabbits.

As the rest of his body stirred, he quickly became aware that his wrists and ankles were bound to what appeared to be a giant bullseye. This could not be good. "Good morning, sleepyhead," nasally voice said.

Mumbo Jumbo had been waiting. "Where the heck am I?" Beast Boy shouted. "And where are my friends?"

Mumbo only shook his head. "Typical hero. You think if you just demand answers, I'll tell you everything. But, I suppose you've earned some answers. Welcome to my fun house."

Knowing what was probably in store for him and his friends, this place was probably anything but fun. "It's where I practice all my new tricks. Right now, I'm in need of a few guinea pigs."

He knew trying to break free of the bonds was a foolish idea, but he tried anyway. "Where are my friends?" Beast Boy demanded.

Mumbo only wagged a finger at him. "I think that's all I'm willing to share right now. I'm getting bored. So, let the fun begin!"

Beast Boy swallowed, wondering what the villain could possibly have up his sleeve. Mumbo came over to the big bullseye and gave it a spin. Slowly, Beast Boy watched the world go round and round. "What are ya going to do? Make me dizzy and throw up?" he said, trying to sound tough.

"Something like that," Mumbo said.

Beast Boy heard a loud thwack as something hit the bullseye, just to the right of his ankle. It was a circus throwing knife. "Uh…okay, dude, joke's over," Beast Boy said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, but we're just getting started."

Archangel was more than a bit confused. At best, he knew his environment was some enclosed structure, a small room, he figured. He was still in the strait jacket, but at least he still had free movement of his legs. There were no doors, he realized, or if there were, they were not within reach. He could pace the perimeter of the room, finding it was no more than a glorified box.

When he heard a click, followed by the sound of running water, he began to worry. It became apparent that water was running down into the box, slowly filling it up. Of course, it had to be that.

Well, first things first, he thought. If he had any hope of getting out before the box filled up, he needed to free the movement of his hands. He tugged and struggled against the strait jacket. Why on earth would such a tortuous device exist?

Raven awoke with a start, only to find she was surrounded by darkness. Attempting to feel her way around, her hands were met with resistance not a few inches from her face. A little more feeling around, and it was clear that Raven was in a box. Had Mumbo buried her alive?

She centered herself, taking a few calming breaths. If that really was the case, then panicking about it was not going to help. If she was to figure this out, she needed to conserve air.

But instead, she heard a shifting noise, one of wood being moved around. No, it was her box; it was spinning. The rotations started slow, but picked up in speed with each turn. Yet, it came to an abrupt halt not long after it had started.

Raven squinted into the light as the box was opened. Something did not feel right. She was on one of Mumbo's stages, no doubt being used for his latest act, but there was something else very odd. She felt shorter, at least that was how it felt from her perspective. So help him, Azar, if he turned her into a rabbit again.

It was only when she stole a glance at the mirror in front of her that she figured out what was going on.

Indeed, she was in a box, or rather three boxes stacked on top of one another. Unfortunately, said boxes had scrambled her up. Her legs were now in the box above her head, and her torso in the one above that. It did not hurt, but it meant that she was trapped in one of Mumbo's tricks. "Just great," she muttered just as the boxes shut again to begin another round of scrambling.

Starfire was rather confused by her situation. On the one hand, it did not appear as though she were in any immediate danger. She was simply in an empty room, her hands tied to colored scarves that formed chains coming out of two hats on either side of her.

But nothing with Mumbo was ever simple. When Starfire tried to fly away, naturally, the chain of scarves only increased as she pulled more and more. Eventually, like stretchy elastic, once she reached the end of the line, it pulled taut. That was when the magic came into play. The chain would then recede, reeling her back in like a fish.

Well, simply flying was out of the question. She then attempted to sever her bonds with her eye beams, but without any success. They were resilient to starbolts.

This seemed to be quite an inescapable puzzle, she thought. She tried to think of Raven or Robin. If anyone was good at puzzles, it was them. What would they do?

Much like Raven, Cyborg discovered he was sitting in pitch darkness. Unlike her, he at least had some free range of motion. From what he could gather, he was in a circular room. It was difficult to discern much else. He wondered how long he might be in here, or for what purpose Mumbo had in mind.

At first, he had pounded the walls with everything he had. None of his gadgets had any effect. After several minutes of that wasted effort, he had resigned himself to sitting and waiting to see what would happen. After a while, he heard the walls moving. As if a giant were picking it up, Cyborg could see a small sliver of light as the walls were lifted up. He scrambled up and ran towards it. That could be a horrible idea, for all he knew, but it was better than nothing. But just as quickly as the walls went up, they started to go down. Just before he was plunged into darkness once more, he could see Beast Boy in the distance, strapped to a spinning whele. "B!" he called out in frustration.

As he felt the claustrophobia of being stuck once more, Cyborg noted that he heard some shifting sounds, like stone grinding. Again, the walls started to come up, but again, he wasn't quick enough. This time, he could make out Archangel, trapped in a box filling with water, but no Beast Boy in sight.

He slammed his fists to the wall. This did not make any sense. It was as if he had been moved around without knowing it. What sort of game was Mumbo playing at?

But as he played this game of cat and mouse, it finally started to make sense, piece by piece. He was in a giant shell game, and he was the marble. Mumbo's magic only gave him the illusion that he was not moving.

This was just great, Cyborg thought, bemoaning his fate. This would be impossible. No matter what he would do, he wouldn't be fast enough or strong enough to get out of this the simple way. He would have to outthink it, and he hated the idea.

Robin did not know anything about where he was. It had started out simple enough. He was tied to a chair, left in a pretty bland room. Of course, that was only to lull him into a sense of calm, he knew.

If he had to take a guess, Robin would have said he was in some sort of fun house, obviously with no intention to be fun for him. He was now standing in what appeared to be a hall of mirrors. Very well, he could play that game.

He reached out his arms, trying to feel the difference between a solid mirror and empty space. He slowly shuffled along, thinking he had found an opening. Almost instantly, what had, moments ago, been a path was now a solid mirror.

Robin heard Mumbo's high-pitched giggles, as if coming from a loudspeaker. "Not so fast, Boy Wonder. This is my fun house, which means my rules."

Great, this was going to be about as unpredictable as dealing with the Joker. At least Mumbo was not as murderous. But, this meant all logic and reason was out the window.

Even worse, it meant he could not have control of the situation. With no rules, for that was pretty much what it was under Mumbo's control, there was no hope of figuring this out.

He made another attempt to move to an opening, hearing the shifting of walls in the distance. All he succeeded in doing was face-planting into yet another mirror.

Archangel was now up to his ankles in water. Thankfully, the box was large enough that it took a while for it to fill up. He had barely managed to burn off the straight jacket, though almost singeing himself in the process. But, after all that, he needed to be finding a way out of this before it got too close. Flames, and even his sword were doing no good. The one idea that struck him as genius was his horn. Surely the vibrations could break the glass.

He took in one of the biggest breaths of air he could and let it loose. The box shook for several minutes, and Archangel was certain his own ear drums would burst, but the box held firm. Water continued to pour in. It was now up to his knees.

All Starfire had succeeded in doing was getting herself further tangled up. She had attempted to twist the scarves this way and that, hoping to tangle them and prevent them from receding. Instead, she had created a tangled web of scarves, and she was the fly trapped in it. She struggled and fought, slowly realizing she was absolutely trapped.

Cyborg made a running dive at the next opening, just like sliding into home plate, only to nearly have his fingers crushed as the walls came down again. He was so close!

He sat up and huddled himself in the center of the room. This was madness and he could not take it anymore. He was tempted to give up. Surely one of his other teammates would figure out how to get out of their own traps, and could help him. But then, what if they were the ones who needed saving? Cyborg had to keep trying.

Beast Boy thought he might throw up. Between all the spinning and the near-misses with the knives, his stomach had done enough flips for one day. He could barely move, let alone struggle anymore against his restraints. He knew what was going on, though. Mumbo was trying to confuse him and make him lose focus.

By some miracle of chance, Robin had made it out of the hall of mirrors and now faced a room full of doors. This would mean even more wacky, irrational logic. But he could get out of one trap; surely he could work his way out of the next.

Sure enough, as he opened the door, he was either back in the exact same room, or in a totally different room filled with doors. He growled to himself. He had to get out of here before he went crazy.

Raven felt that her situation was starting to get hopeless. In all this time, having her body scrambled continuously in this magic box, she had learned nothing that could help her figure it out. She, like the rest of the Titans, knew this situation could only get worse.

Robin had been stuck in this funhouse for who knows how long. For every one room he could get out of, he would spend what felt like hours trying to figure out the next one. Whether it was mirrors, doors, spinning tunnels, or any combination thereof, he found himself getting progressively more frustrated. Annoying and harmless Mumbo may be, but he was infuriatingly difficult to deal with, bar none.

At present, Robin was walking through a rather dark room. Occasionally, he saw a few trapdoors overhead, but they were well beyond his reach. As of yet, he had found no solution to this problem, and only kept walking until Mumbo would hopefully try to trip him up with one of his illogical rules to this place. At least then, he might have a chance of finding a way out.

Not for the first time today, Robin realized just how smart Mumbo really was. If any of his friends were in similar traps, then Mumbo had tailored them to their own weaknesses. Not the physical weaknesses they had practiced on today, but mental. Robin was in a situation he hated above all else: He was in a world outside of his control.

He knew his friends joked about him being such a control freak, but they were right, to an extent. Robin was still used to the old habit of having to take responsibility for everything. That was what he had been taught. And as leader, he let that extend to his team. He felt the need to shoulder the burden of everything. Every failure was his own, every threat to his friends' lives was something he should have been able to prevent, and every shortcoming they had was something he had to fix. Mumbo did not just lay traps. He had condemned them to their own personal hells.

But one idea struck as he dwelled on these thoughts. Mumbo had created this world to be without rules. So, Robin did not need to play by them because they did not exist. If no rules existed, he could make them up just as much as Mumbo did.

Robin decided to test this theory out. As he walked along, where he knew a door should have been above him, it was now right at his feet. As he opened the door, he could see that he might fall down. He had turned the room upside down to suit his needs. As he slid down into the doorway, he knew he had the upper hand.

Cyborg had run himself ragged. There was just no way it could be done. He had exhausted every possibility. He could not outrun it. He could not destroy it. What was he missing?

But that was just it. This was not a test of strength or speed. It was not a time for action. It was a time for thinking. But Cyborg was a man of action. How was he supposed to solve this with thinking?

For several minutes, he watched the walls go up and down at various intervals, knowing full well that his friends were just on the other side in need of as much help as he.

What could he do? The walls never came up more than a few feet, just enough to maybe slide under. Even then, they moved too fast. He was more likely to only get partway through before it came down again. What would be the sense in having only part of himself out?

Wait! That was it! Cyborg had to act fast before the next time it came up. He quickly detached one of his legs, and slid it under in a hurry the second the walls came up. He might not be able to get out all in one piece, but he was the one person who could come out in pieces. There would be the matter of finding all his pieces again once he was fully out, but he could worry about that later.

Starfire had to stop and think as she remained tangled in the web of scarves. She had only succeeded in getting stuck even further the more she pulled and tried to knot them. Clearly, this was not the mental puzzle she had thought, so what was the solution?

At least a dozen different ideas ran through her mind at once, and she was tempted to try them all. But the longer she thought, the more she realized how each one of them could fall apart. She needed a plan and fast.

But that was just the problem. Starfire always had speed on her side, and that meant she rarely gave herself time to stop and think. Fatal mistakes could be made because of hesitation, Robin had always taught her. Yet, no one was in any immediate danger now, that she knew of anyway. Now it was important to take the time to think.

To begin with, she needed to undo these knots, even if that meant she would have the scarves recede back into the hats. If she could start from the beginning, that would at least be something.

She looked around and began to see how the knots could unravel. Slowly maneuvering her arms, she began to take apart the web she had created. Bit by bit, she was no longer in a bigger mess than when she had started.

Now at the beginning again, she needed to think about what she could do. Perhaps she could at least find out what she was dealing with. She slowly started to pull on one of the scarf chains. At the very least, she could figure out ow much distance she had. Slowly and steadily, she continued to pull, one hand at a time. As she pulled, it occurred to her that this felt a lot longer than it had before.

Starfire was now filled with a sense of hope. So long as she was slow and patient about it, there may actually be an end in sight.

When it came to villains, Raven hated the crazy ones the most. They took logic and threw it out the window. That made Mumbo one of the most annoying in her book. She was still frustrated she had found no clues or had come up with any ideas on how to get out. It was not like she did not have plenty of time to think. Being shuffled around in a box all day, she certainly had plenty of time to think. The problem was every idea she had was too complex and made too much sense for something like whatever Mumbo could cook up.

Mumbo knew how much Raven used her power of reasoning to solve problems, and she hated that he was torturing her with it. She just could not give into stupidity.

But maybe that would be what she had to do to get out: give into the craziness. But was that not what she had been doing this whole time? She had been sitting, waiting for an answer.

Then she looked at the mirror. It was so stupid, it just might work. She was only scrambled because her rational sense of perception told her so. When the box closed for its latest round of scrambling, Raven worked hard to concentrate on what she wanted to see in the mirror. When it opened again, Raven looked, willing herself to see herself unscrambled. And it was so. She cautiously took a step out of the box, feeling how real it was to be back to normal. Now to get that blue-skinned nut.

The water had risen high enough that Archangel had to float. Eventually, though, the water would reach the ceiling, which he could just feel overhead. He was carefully taking in what were probably his last few breaths. What could he do?

Of course, it had to be this. He still could not swim, no matter what Beast Boy had taught him. He had to adapt, he kept telling himself. Ever since coming to Earth, he had had to make a lot of adjustments to get used to the new world around him.

Lately, he had been taking that for granted. He had gotten used to his surroundings, so he rarely challenged himself. Okay, time to adapt, get oriented. He knew there had to be a way.

One last thought occurred to him. Rooms like this had to have a way to drain the water, even if that was closed off for now. Just as the water filled the last few inches of the box, he took the biggest breath he could. That could last him several minutes with his lung capacity.

Time to orient. He could not hear properly, or smell in this situation. But he could feel pressure differences. That was it! Archangel followed the increasing pressure in his head to swim to the bottom of the room. In time, he touched the bottom. He let his hands feel around the floor, trying to search for some clue, any indication of a drain.

It did not take long to feel around the entirety of the floor as it was a smaller room. Eventually, he felt the subtle difference between tile and metal. There it was. Feeling for the edges, Archangel took out his sword and started to use it to pry off the metal covering. Wrenching it back and forth, the covering lifted, and he felt the water start to drain. Following pressure currents upward, he now went to where there was air.

Now, there was still the matter of being trapped in this room. Nothing could penetrate that glass. But at least now his life was no longer in danger. He did not have to think long on the matter. He heard two loud booms followed by the sound of cracking.

"Archie, you are unharmed!" Starfire said triumphantly, scooping him up in a hug as she flew through the hole in the glass.

"Looks like we got here just in time, Cybrog added.

Beast Boy could not take any more of this. The disorienting spinning and the shock to his system every time one of Mumbo's knives struck the bullseye had worn him down.

"You're not making this fun, Beast Boy," Mumbo taunted.

This was, of course, the worst situation he could be in. He already had enough trouble as it was staying focused, and now with these other distractions, he did not have a prayer. "Gotta focus," he grunted.

Concentrating was not his forte, but he had to do it. If his friends were still in trouble, he had to help. He had to fight back. With pained effort, he transformed into a monkey. At least now he had a tail. At least now, he had a chance.

Now came the tricky part. He had to really think to move his tail into the right place. "What are you doing?" Mumbo asked, now becoming suspicious.

Beast Boy only answered by grabbing one of the knives with his tail, and throwing it back at Mumbo. "What do you think you're…"

He kept maneuvering to pull the knives out of the bullseye and throwing them back. At least now, Mumbo had stopped throwing them at him. That was one distraction out of the way.

"Why you little…I'm going to-"

"Show's over," Robin said, clocking Mumbo from behind.

Beast Boy slowly felt the wheel coming to a stop, as Raven slowed it down. His head was spinning more now that he was not spinning. "I think we've had enough training for today," he said before collapsing into Raven's arms as she tried to support him.

"Agreed," Robin said, picking up Mumbo, "but we do have one more stop to make."

The others had caught up to them. "But, how are we to get out?" Starfire asked.

Robin looked around. "If it's anything like what I went through, I have a few ideas."

Mumbo gulped, knowing he was finished.

 _Only three more episodes to go! I can't believe it. So, let's see, a hint… Well, we haven't had a Cyborg-centric episode. Imagine away, and see you next week._


	12. Episode 12: Home is Where the Heart is

**Episode 12: Home is Where the Heart is**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Welcome back to yet another chapter in this nearly finished fic. Unfortunately, this wasn't the episode I thought was coming next, but after checking my pre-writing notes, I realize why I put this one next. Oh well, that means I'll really get a kick out of the final two episodes. As always, never owned Teen Titans and never will._

* * *

 **Tamaran, 6 Years Ago**

Starfire was afraid, more than she had ever been in her life. And there was good reason for it. The fiery explosions just outside her window a few minutes ago were a good indication of that. She was still covering her ears even though she was far away from them, wishing it would be over.

The unthinkable had happened. The Gordanians had attacked Tamaran, a feat no one thought would be possible. Sure, Gordanian raiders had been known to take a few trading envoys down, but a full-scale attack like this was unthinkable. They should not have been able to get past Tamaranean military barriers, yet here they were, practically at her door.

Her only comfort was knowing that she was not alone. She had her brother, Wildfire, clutched closely to her. He was only four, and therefore did not know exactly what was going on, but perhaps that made it even more frightening. He sat in her lap, holding onto her tightly.

Galfore had rushed them into his own quarters, as the room had no windows for Gordanians to come through. They knew of no safer place in the whole palace. Galfore had gone in search of Blackfire, and had given Starfire very clear instructions about what to do should anything go wrong.

This time, she could hear shouts coming from the halls, though that did nothing to calm her. They were in real danger. She jumped up when the doors suddenly flew open, but she stopped when she saw it was Galfore. The look on his face, though, did not make her any more comfortable. He quickly slammed the doors behind him. "You must get out of here, now!" he roared, leading the two of them to the hidden door in his room. It would lead straight to the tunnels.

Leading Wildfire, Starfire made her way through the dimly-lit passage. She already knew what had happened. The Gordanians had actually stormed the palace. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest at the thought of it. She had to stay brave for her brother, and keep her head though. No time to panic.

She could hear more shouts and pounding noises overhead. She still did not know if her parents or Blackfire were okay, and that was what frightened her most. "We going to be okay, Kori?" Wildfire asked.

They were on their way to the safe-house. It belonged to a friend of Galfore's, a fellow k'norfka like himself. Just a little farther. "We will be fine," she said, hoping she believed it just as much as he did.

She picked him up, deciding they might move a bit quicker that way. Her heart stopped when she heard echoing shouts and curses in a language unfamiliar to her. They were in the tunnels!

Starfire started to run. They needed to find somewhere to hide, and fast. She looked around. There had to be a crevice or some space in these tunnels they could hide in. There! She found a small opening in the tunnel walls, just big enough for the two of them. They quickly squeezed in and held their breaths, waiting to see what would happen.

The footsteps started getting closer, and she could hear their hissing language. From the tone, she guessed they may not have known there was anyone else in the tunnels. They were perhaps patrolling, trying to prevent any soldiers from getting in this way. That was not a good sign.

As they drew near, Starfire gasped. She had never seen a Gordanian before. She only knew what little had been whispered among the adults. Now that she saw them up close, it was even more terrifying. The blue-green skinned, reptilian creatures looked around, their glowing eyes searching for any sign of life. She could hear the wet, raspy breathing, and she could only hope they did not hear her or Wildfire.

The sparking ends of their spears sent a shiver down her spine. Now she had a pretty good guess where Rulore's scars had come from. A forked, reptilian tongue jutted out of the mouth of one, and Starfire realized they were smelling the area. They had to know they were down here. She swallowed hard, hoping they would not be able to figure out where exactly.

She heard more of what sounded like a conversation between the two, arguing, she thought. The quick responses and the glares they gave each other told her they were in disagreement, probably debating how long ago she and Wildfire had passed through. She prayed they would just give up their search.

One had started to walk in their direction, all the while continuing his discussion with his comrade. Starfire let out a small gasp, hoping they had not figured it out. Yet, he still drew closer. She was fairly certain he did not see them, but he would eventually get close enough to. Starfire readied a starbolt in her hand. She was not going to go down without a fight.

Luckily, she did not need to. A magenta starbolt struck him in the back and another hit the other before he could turn around to see the cause of the trouble. Blackfire hardly gave them a chance to even stand back up before she sent a slew of more starbolts and then set upon them herself.

Starfire watched with both terror and awe as Blackfire single-handedly took out both Gordanians as if it were nothing. She had never seen her sister fight like that before. It was truly a marvel.

Both warriors incapacitated, Blackfire finally stopped to catch her breath, only now noticing her siblings' presence as they clambered out of the crevice. "What are you two doing here?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Galfore sent us through the tunnels," Starfire explained before wrapping her in a hug. "But you saved us just in time. Oh, thank you sister!"

Blackfire did not say anything else, but instead shifted uncomfortably in her sister's grasp. She had been trying to build up into the stoicism expected of Tamaraneans, and this, to her, felt awkward. "Look, we really should get back. The palace is all clear," she said.

Starfire finally let her go and grabbed Wildfire's hand as they walked back. "What happened?" she asked. "How did they get in?"

"Don't know," Blackfire answered. "Dad's making sure there are more guards though. You two okay?" She asked this last question as if it were an afterthought.

Starfire did not seem to notice. "Yes, we are unharmed. But, that was so terrifying."

She shrugged. "Probably nothing compared to the other sorts of atrocities they've done."

Starfire nodded solemnly. Not too long ago, she and Blackfire had overheard a very private conversation between their mother and Rulore. They finally had become aware of what sort of suffering Rulore had endured in her captivity under them. She wished she had not heard any of it.

"They won't come back again, will they?" Wildfire asked, looking up to both of his sisters.

Starfire looked to Blackfire. She shook her head as if to say, "You can't promise him that."

"If they do," Starfire said, "we will hit them with everything. The three of us will always look out for each other."

They could never have known in that moment, but that was one of the last times they were ever going to be a whole family.

* * *

 **Jump City – Present**

It was one of the days the Titans dreaded most: spring cleaning. It was not just the endless amount of work that needed to be done that bothered them. It was the fact that this day seemed to be Robin's free pass to boss them all around, more so than usual.

Still, it was what got the job done. At the moment, they were working diligently in a systematic fashion, that is until Beast Boy got bored. He was busy barking at the vacuum cleaner that Cyborg was trying to push across the living room carpet. Every so often, he would nudge Beast Boy's nose with it. "I swear to God, B," Cyborg started, "do it one more time, and I'll – "

"Look, it's time Beast Boy got started on the bathrooms anyway," Robin said, thrusting a pile of cleaning supplies into his arms.

Beast Boy turned back into a human and sat there with a stunned look on his face. "C'mon, why do I always get bathrooms every year?"

Cyborg quickly responded, "Because this year, we finally did your nasty little experiment, took apart the drains and found that it was mostly green hair that clogged them up. Now, hop to, grass-stain."

He glowered at Cyborg, but started to march off down the halls. "Hey, where's Archangel?" Robin asked. "He was supposed to be here to help Star with the windows."

"He was doing laundry, last I checked," Beast Boy said, "and…oh, I forgot to sort the clothes for him. He's probably still down there trying to figure that out. Hehe, oops."

Raven had come back from dusting the bedrooms. "I'll take care of it. You get back to bathrooms."

"Drat!"

It seemed that there must have been an angel watching over Beast Boy, or something like that, as the alarms started blaring at that moment. "Oh, well, guess it'll have to wait," he said with a big grin. "Duty calls."

XxX

A motorcycle roared down the streets of Jump City, and everyone knew to get out of the way. Such was a common sign of Jonny Rancid's presence. This time, he was dragging along large chains, which whipped around with his bike, causing a good deal of destruction. Every time they struck a building, glass would shatter, or small dents formed in the structure. Rancid was loving every minute of this. "Ooh, nice one," he said to himself as the chains tore apart a storefront.

"Not for long," a voice said, just beside him.

Robin was now right beside him on his own motorcycle. And soon, Starfire was flying along the other side of him. A chill in the air behind him indicated that Raven was there, and he was headed right for Cyborg, who only smirked. "Booyah," he said calmly.

They were trying to box him in. A common technique for them. Rancid grinned and accelerated. Cyborg did not move, but then, he was expecting this. As he got near, he popped the bike up and rode over Cyborg's head. "Not this time, big man," he muttered as he grabbed the end of one of the chains trailing behind him.

Cyborg stood his ground, but it was not enough. The chains took him along for the ride. Soon, he was bouncing along the road, holding on for dear life as they took some sharp turns.

"You've stopped making this fun, Tin Man," Rancid said, disappointed at the lack of destruction as Cyborg weighed down the chains.

As he turned back around, bursts of flames struck the ground where he was driving. He skidded and swerved to avoid them. That was when he spotted Archangel just above. "You will return our friend," he said, descending to strike at even closer range.

Rancid grinned. "You want him so bad? Here, take him."

He brought the bike to a screeching halt, Cyborg's momentum allowing him to sail overhead, and he released the chains in the sudden stop, careening into Archangel mid-air, knocking both of them down with a great thud. Rancid revved his bike to drive away, laughing all the while.

This little stop gave Robin enough time to catch up. "Looks like it's time to slow you down," he said, throwing a birdarang into Rancid's front tire, puncturing it.

This did not seem to anger or upset the vandal, which made Robin worry. Instead, he pushed a button on his bike. Not only did this inflate and mend the tire, the entire bike was now decked in spiked, metal armor. "You're not the only one with some new toys, bird boy," he said, turning around to go chasing after Robin.

There was a time and place for retreating, and this was one of them, Robin knew, at least until he could think up a new strategy. For now, the best idea would be to try and lead Rancid away from crowded areas to minimize the destruction. He turned around and drove away, Rancid hot on his heels.

Robin did his best to try and throw a few more obstacles in the way: more birdarangs, smoke bombs, anything to maybe throw Rancid off his game. But in a rage like this, that did very little. He continued to follow Robin, getting dangerously close to colliding with him. Knowing the villain, that was probably what he was aiming to do.

A roar from nearby told Robin that at least he was not alone. Beast Boy was starting to catch up to them, bounding even closer in cheetah form. But as soon as he was right alongside Rancid, the villain started taking a few side swipes at Beast Boy, hoping to crush him into the side of a building. He took one look at thos spikes and changed into a hawk before he could get caught in them.

Once he flew ahead enough, he landed just as Robin passed by, and turned into a tiger, ready to spring at Rancid. Instead, the motorcycle continued barreling down the road, aiming to run over Beast Boy. He squealed like a frightened kitten and ran off before he became roadkill.

These distractions at least gave Robin more of a lead. If he could just keep at it, he could lead Rancid right to where he needed him to be. As he zipped past an intersection, he heard a crumbling noise and looked behind him to see Raven lifting the road and curling it into a loop, hoping to cut Rancid off. Starfire was at the ready in case he kept going, which was exactly what he did.

Rancid rode around the loop of road and came out the other end. And he almost completely succeeded, excepted that Starfire had blasted his back wheel loose. That certainly set him into a rage, but he had other fish to fry, especially Robin. He grimaced and bolted in the other direction, trying to find another route. Starfire stayed on his trail.

He was quickly losing this, and needed to get the heck out of dodge before the other Titans caught up. That was becoming a real possibility, especially when Cyborg came, standing his ground at the other end of the street. "No one wrecks my city," Cyborg said, firing up his sonic canon.

"I think I just did," Rancid replied, gesturing to all the chaos around him.

"Bring it."

Rancid smiled wickedly and made a beeline for Cyborg, but the metal hero stood firm, the cannon ready to blast. Just before he could fire it off, Rancid made a quick turn, the chains coming around and knocking Cyborg off his feet. He collided into an old garage, his cannon going off, and blasting the building to bits. He lay there in a heap when Rancid roared by, muttering some taunt he could not hear, and speeding off.

Cyborg was shaking debris, getting up to go another round when something gave him pause. He had forgotten what part of Jump City they were in and had not realized it. He stopped in his tracks as he read the sign of the building he had smashed: Beatty's Automotive.

Cyborg collapsed to his knees, staring vacantly at the rubble. He hardly noticed his friends when they finally came up to him. It was Robin who spoke, momentarily bringing him back to the real world. "What happened, Cy?"

"Yeah, what did he say to you, dude?" Beast Boy added.

None of them were going to say anything about letting Rancid go. Now was not the time. "Y'all probably don't even remember this place, do ya?" he finally said.

He really did not expect any answers. "This was my grandfather's old garage," he continued. "When he and my grandmother took my mom and me in, we stayed in the little apartment above it. It was my home. When he died, he left this place to me, and I lived there until I met all of you."

"I remember that," Robin said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Cyborg seemed to crumple. "And now it's gone."

"Well, maybe we could put it back together," Beast Boy said, just as a small pile of debris crumbled under his feet. "Or, uh, not."

"We could build it anew," Starfire suggested.

Archangel nodded in agreement. "Yes, you have built our tower home, as well as those of the other Titan teams. Surely building this would not be a challenge."

Cyborg seemed to perk up a bit. It was just crazy enough to work, he thought. And if they built it new, the city could use that garage again. His grandfather would have wanted that. "Yeah," he said at last. "Yeah, let's do it. You guys will help, right?"

"Of course," Robin said with a smile.

"Did ya ever have to doubt?" Beast Boy said.

His other friends murmured their agreements. Even Raven gave a noncommittal noise that was not a "no," which was close enough in his book.

For the next few days, Cyborg drew up plans and spent hours obsessing over his new pet project. Not only would he rebuild the garage, he would give it a complete overhaul, equipping it like his own down in the tower basement. His old home could finally have a new purpose instead of just sitting abandoned in downtown Jump City. Plus, he could really build it sturdier and more protected, so that it could not be destroyed by the havoc wreaked by the average villains of the city. He already had dreams of it becoming his new refuge, to meet others who shared his passion for the mechanical, and more importantly, cars.

"Earth to Cyborg!" Beast Boy called.

That seemed to snap him out of it. "Hm, what?"

"Dude! You're putting motor oil in the pancake mix. What gives?"

Cyborg looked again at the mixing bowl to find that, sure enough, he had let his imagination take over. "Uh…my bad," he said, slowly turning off the nozzle on his canon, which was dripping the black, gooey contents in the bowl. "I'll just start another batch. We're gonna need some energy for today."

They were finally going to start building today, and Cyborg could not have been happier. He had already started babbling about their plans, what needed to get done first, and everything in between.

Over the next few weeks, the Titans really set to work on the new construction. For the most part, they kept in good spirits. This was a lot easier than when they were trying to figure out how to build their tower for the first time. Now, they had it down to a more systematic order.

Starfire and Cyborg took care of most of the heavy lifting, and Starfire's starbolts proved useful for welding. In no time at all, the walls and basic structure were already up. "You may release now," she said as she finished welding the last of the walls.

Cyborg took a step back from holding the wall up for her, admiring their handiwork. "Perfect," he said. "This is really starting to come together."

Raven's powers were perfect for bending, shaping, and cutting any materials they needed. Cyborg could also count on her to be precise. With enough focus, it was guaranteed their more complex plans would be exact. He could not have been more pleased.

While Robin was assigned to a few odds and ends assignments, it often drifted into what he did best: managing. Robin made sure everyone stayed on task and hat all work was leading right to Cyborg's specifications in his plans. Cyborg did not mind this, so long as Robin did not start ordering him around.

Beast Boy was more the Swiss Army knife of the group. He filled in wherever he was needed. Sometimes that was assisting Starfire and Cyborg with particularly heavy jobs, or climbing about and reaching into the harder nooks and crannies. Plus, he always stuck to his usual job of keeping everyone's spirits up, that is, when he was not complaining about the workload himself.

At first, Cyborg was not too keen on Archangel working on some of the high-tech stuff he had planned. But, once he got used to how Archangel could feel the subtle differences in parts, and could control his flames into a precise location like a soldering iron, things went smoothly.

Cyborg liked the way things were going. It was like some great, well-oiled machine, working in precise motion all together. He was certain he had done his grandfather proud.

That garage was more than just a home to him. It had been a refuge for him and his mother when they had nowhere else to go. It had been the one place where he felt human no matter what his outsides looked like. It was the place he hid himself from the world until he met a team that accepted him. It was the first place where he truly learned what it meant to be on a team. This place was family.

"I think a well-earned break is in order," he said as he passed around lunch. "I gotta say, this is shaping up to look real nice."

"As if there were a doubt," Beast Boy said with a shrug and a smile.

"So, are you going to turn the upstairs into an apartment like the old garage?" Robin asked, splitting his sandwich in half.

Cyborg finally sat down with them. "I don't think so. I mean, I loved living over my grandad's garage as a kid, but I don't see anyone wanting to live here unless they owned it. I think we'll just turn that into a parts store."

"I'm surprised this didn't become too big of a project," Raven added. "We've been able to get a lot don in a short time."

Cyborg grinned. "All in the power of teamwork. How else would I be able to help the other Titan teams build their towers?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Gee, I dunno. It couldn't be having every tool known to man literally at your fingertips."

He chuckled. "Well, I always do believe that any job can be accomplished with the right tools, but having a good team is just as important."

Starfire was still looking around at all the new equipment and shiny new walls. "This is certainly more advanced than what it used to be," she said.

Cyborg cracked his knuckles and said, "Yeah, I try, but hey, Archie's been a good help. Nothing's short circuited yet, at least not after those first few incidents."

"Yeah," Archangel muttered, rubbing the blackened, soot-covered ends of his fingers.

"Will you miss it?" Starfire asked.

"Always," Cyborg answered. "But at least this way, I figure it'll be going to good use. Before, it was pretty much left to rot. I'd rather see people actually in it again."

The others nodded in agreement. "So, are you going to be the one running it all?" Robin asked in a friendly way, though Cyborg could read between the lines. He was worried about how much this would take away from regular duties.

He did not say much at first. Truth be told, he did not know what he wanted to do himself. "Uh, well, sorta, I guess. I mean, I won't be running it full-time or nothing, but I would like to be a part of it all. I suppose it'll depend on if I can find a good manager."

Robin responded with a noncommittal noise: not the answer he was expecting. But, he could not be expected to make everyone happy. "Anyway," Cyborg said, stretching. "We'd better be getting back to work. B.B., I need you to help me get all the wiring installed. We're nearly done."

"Nuh uh," Beast Boy said. "I'm not getting zapped again. I still get twitchy."

"Well, your fault for being a squirrel and chewing the wires. Now, come on."

For the rest of the afternoon, things continued to go smoothly. Cyborg wished every day could be like this: just them working, relaxing, enjoying each other's company. In fact, they had been real fortunate to not have a lot of crime alerts to respond to while doing this. If it kept up, they could have this place done in no time.

But alas, all good things had to come to an end. Their communicators started buzzing with a new alert. "Anything big?" Cyborg asked, hoping it was just a small robbery.

"Kardiak," Robin replied, "but not too far from here. We should be able to cut it off before it gets too close, or causes too much destruction."

"So, a full team job?" Cyborg asked.

Robin blinked. "Uh, yeah, like always. Cy…"

"I'm coming, don't get your undies in a twist."

Still, Cyborg was a little slower to run along with the rest of the team. He looked back at all their hard work. He really wanted to see this finished. They would be back in no time, he told himself. Nothing to worry about.

Kardiak wasted no time when it came to city destruction. It was thrashing its mechanical tentacles about, hoping to find life within, preferably young lives it could abduct. Still, that did not mean it was above a little reckless destruction for fun. "I thought we made it clear you weren't supposed to be within fifty feet of a minor," Robin said, bringing it out of its destructive revelries.

It turned around and started making its way towards the Titans. "Uh, Raven, you don't suppose you could just tear this thing to pieces with one of your freaky spells, do ya?" Beast Boy asked, getting nervous as that thing ambled closer to them.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

One of the tentacles was sliced clean off just before it reached them. It flopped about for a few seconds before it began slithering back to its master. "Don't let the limbs reattach!" Robin called.

"Ooh, nice observation, Captain Obvious," Cyborg mocked. "Let's see this guy take on some of this. Booyah!"

He blasted several shots of sonic energy directly at Kardiak, one right after the other. At first, it stunned the thing, but it recovered and began making its way towards them again. "Um, well, you are tougher than ya look," he said in disbelief.

The missing limb found its way back to Kardiak and the creature lurched towards the team. "Rip it apart again," Robin said. "If we destroy its parts, it has no means of getting back together."

Raven nodded and cast another spell, breaking the tentacles off of it and scattering them about. "Titans, split up!"

Robin took over attacking the main "heart" of Kardiak, which still had a couple of legs attached to it. If anything else, there was a possibility that putting a stop to the head would shut down everything. His main plan was to try and puncture the red heart structure sitting atop its metal legs. If he were crazy enough to design this thing, that would most likely be where the main board would be to control it. If it was living, its life force had to be there.

He started by throwing several birdarangs at it. At best, one or two scratched the surface, but they mostly bounced off. The heart was not exactly gelatinous as he had originally thought. If anything, this just ticked it off more. Kardiak had undergone some modifications since last they dealt with it, and it came with some new tools in its arsenal. The tentacles turned to buzz-saws, and Robin was now on the defensive. He ducked, dodged, and avoided them as best he could, but he needed to make another move. He threw a round of smoke bombs, which confused it, even slowing it down. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that smoking was bad for your heart?" he said from behind it.

He shot his grappling hook, and it wound several times around Kardiak's tentacles. When he pulled, it lost its stance and tumbled to the ground. "That's more like it," Robin said, as he jumped on it.

He pounded wildly on the protective cover around the red heart of the body, trying to do anything to break through. Kardiak broke free of its restraints, and a metal tentacle was wrapped around his waist, pulling him off.

Cyborg ran after the mechanical arm, trying to blast it into oblivion. But the little sucker was too fast. It bobbed and weaved away like a snake, moving at a lightning pace. Still, that was keeping it busy, and not heading back to the mainframe. But that would not stop it for long. Cyborg was familiar with the same principle with his own detachable limbs. It would do everything it could to get back.

He did have one idea, a pretty stupid one, but an idea nonetheless. He ran even faster, trying to catch up. It may be quick, but he could be quicker. He launched into a full tackle as soon as he was near. Cyborg lucked out and had managed to land on top of the tentacle.

Like a bucking bronco, it thrashed and squirmed violently to get Cyborg off, but he held on with a firm grip. "Whoa! Ride 'em cowboy," he called as he felt his head and insides shaking with each rapid movement.

But this was not like any wild animal. It did not tire out. Okay, so he had ahold of it, now what? He had to come up with a plan. "Let's try this on for size," he said, switching into chainsaw mode.

As the blade touched the metal, everything rattled, the tentacle, Cyborg, everything. But no matter how long he held it there, the blades did not so much as nick the metal. Well, this was doing no god. It just made it thrash harder.

This time, Cyborg could not hold his grip and was flung into the air like a sack of rocks, crashing to the ground with a rumble.

While Beast Boy had started out chasing the tentacle, it had somehow ended up chasing him. And to top it off, it had switched to a sharp blade at the end of it. It made several swipes at him, and more than once, he was almost certain he would lose a tail.

Though he could keep a strong pace ahead of it, its erratic movement meant he had to keep looking back to see where it would strike next, just to avoid losing a limb. The latest swipe nicked some fur off of his back. Talk about a close shave, he thought.

He needed a different approach. To start, he needed to be a smaller target. That gave him an idea. He turned into a woodpecker and flitted about, trying to get a good angle on the tentacle. Once he could find a way to settle upon it, he began frantically trying to peck through the surface. Not that that was a good idea. If Cyborg's saw could not get through, he did not have a prayer. All he succeeded in doing was giving himself a headache.

But a window of opportunity did come. As the tentacle thrashed about, it crashed into the sides of buildings. As it did so, it wore away at its own casing, exposing a few frayed wires. It was enough, Beast Boy thought. He flew towards the small opening, and began pecking and poking at the wires. Maybe he could disable it.

That proved to be about as useful as when he had been working on the wiring in the garage. One peck through a loose wire, and he was zapped. His feathers were frazzled and singed, and a little puff of black smoke wafted from his head. Bad idea.

Raven was still trying to solve this puzzle. There had to be some secret to breaking Kardiak. At least a way that did not involve dark magic, she thought, remembering how close she had come to hurting a civilian the last time she had encountered it. The problem was they did not know all that much about Kardiak's creation to really have a clue.

In the meantime, she would just have to make do with mere distractions until they could figure it out. Raven cast another spell, splitting the tentacle into smaller fragments. They were still circular, as if she had merely sliced it into small chunks. The fragments started rolling towards her, as if they had a mind of their own. This was not good.

Raven turned tail and had to find a way to avoid these things. They were spinning at faster and faster paces, looking like mini-sawblades heading for her.

She acted quickly and put a barrier between them and her. She pulled an empty bus horizontally across the street, forming a sort of wall to block them off. She heard a few solid dings as they struck the side of the frame.

Raven paused for a beat, waiting to see what they would do next. Apparently, that was for those pieces to reassemble, forming a tentacle once more, and to smash the bus to a pulp. Well, that had only bought her a few seconds of time. Now onto plan B.

Starfire probably had the most advantage of the Titans. At least her starbolts could melt through the metal, and she could cause some damage. Still, that did not make things any easier for her.

The tentacle she was tailing moved too quick for her to get a good hit and not cause more collateral damage to the city. Still, she maintained focus, looking for an opening. At the very least, she just had to keep it away from the mainframe.

It came to a stop in the middle of the street, turning this way and that. It was searching for the mainframe, Starfire realized. This was her chance. She sent a starbolt directly at it. It blasted through the metal, creating a nasty hole with sparks and wires everywhere.

It turned back to her, and she could have sworn it growled at her. Now it was mad. In an instant, the tentacle shot up, wrapped around her ankle, and yanked her down to the ground. Within a few seconds, it had her trapped, and the other end of it had switched into a blade, ready to cut her clean in half.

Starfire struggled against the tentacle holding her at bay. It may have caught her by surprise, but it was no match for her Tamaranean strength. When she ripped herself free, it burst into tiny pieces, and she was hopeful. That is, until those tiny pieces started to reassemble themselves. This one was going to be a tough nut to crack.

Archangel was at a bit of a disadvantage. With the parts being made of metal, like most of the city's buildings, it smelled like the rest of the city. Here, he could only rely on his hearing and tried to follow the tentacle slithering and banging into stuff. That was not the best strategy, but it would have to do. It was not like he had any other options.

But he felt there could be one thing he could do. As the tentacle moved, Archangel created walls of fire across the streets, hoping to corral the machine into a tight corner and head it off there. So far, that was somewhat working. He could at least direct it where he wanted it to go.

As it wound through a maze of flames, Archangel became sure that soon he would have it cornered. He landed as he finished off the final blockade, pinning it in. "Now, to see how you may be defeated," he said.

It did not take too kindly to the idea. It whipped around, swinging wildly at him. Once, he was able to catch it as it nearly made contact, but it took a lot out of him to do so. He probably would not be able to do that again. Not without risking injury to himself.

He released it, just long enough to grab his horn. Hopefully, the sound waves would disrupt it long enough for him to do something. But the tentacle swung at him, striking his head, and knocking the horn out of his hands. Dazed, he was now on the defensive. The tentacle swung down upon him repeatedly like a big hammer.

Archangel rolled out of the way of several strikes. But once the tentacle switched to vacuum mode, it was all he could do to clutch at the ground. Just when he could hold on no longer, the suction stopped. He rolled over and saw Cyborg holding it back. "I couldn't stop mine, but I can try to help you."

The tentacle struggled against him. And then, the beating mainframe hovered in the sky, calling its missing parts back. It broke free of Cyborg's grasp, and like all the others, rejoined Kardiak to form the whole.

As though it were merely stretching its limbs, it swung its tentacles out, breaking anything within reach, including the garage they had been building. "No, no, no!" Cyborg shouted, running towards it.

"Cyborg, wait!" Archangel called out.

As he ran up to the wreckage, his knees started to quake. It was all he could do not to totally break down at the sight of all the rubble. All their hard work was gone. In an instant, he had lost it all over again. "Cyborg," he heard Starfire's voice say from behind. "Friend, please, Robin requires our assistance."

Cyborg seemed as if he were in a trance. Really all he heard were muffled sounds as he tried to process it all. "I should've built the new walls first, get all the new security in. I could've prevented all this."

Starfire shook her head. "Of that, I cannot be certain. I have no knowledge of how or if that would have made a difference. But Cyborg, we need your assistance now. Please…"

He let out a long drawn out sigh. "Yeah, I'm comin'. Look, it's just hard. You guys don't know what this feels like."

"Daimas," she said.

"Um…'broken home?'" he said, trying to remember his Tamaranean translations.

"Almost. It is the feeling to describe when your home is destroyed. You feel…as though nothing is safe. It is as though you have lost the one place where nothing bad could happen."

"So, you know that feeling then." Something about just sharing the misery felt better and lifted the weight off his chest.

"Yes, the Gordanians destroyed my home several times. They burned my planet to waste. They dismantled my home city. And they even broke into the palace. I was afraid to sleep for weeks. I could not feel safe in my own bed."

Cyborg felt a little guilty then. Here he had been getting upset over a garage and Starfire had watched everything she loved and cared about destroyed in a useless war. How could she possibly tell him about all that and still hold back the sadness he knew she had to be hiding?

"I'm sorry that happened, Star. That must've been awful."

"Do you know what you must do to dispel the feeling of daimas?"

Cyborg only shook his head, but he had a good feeling where she was going with this. "When the Gordanians destroyed Tamaran, after the attacks had ceased for the day, we rebuilt. We picked up and started again."

He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "We tried that, Star, and look how that turned out. Star, I appreciate you trying, but this place…it just meant so much to me. Just rebuilding isn't enough."

She rested her hand on his shoulder. "This place was my first home on Earth. It holds a special significance to me as well."

He had almost forgotten that. In the months before the T-Tower could be built, Starfire had needed a home. Really, the whole team did. They had somehow made it work, living in the apartment above the garage. But he had forgotten the significance that must have held for Starfire. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"It may not be much, but I still say you rebuild again," she answered as though it were the simplest answer in the world, "when the Kardiak is defeated, of course. This is but a physical manifestation of a feeling. It can be replaced. It will only be a home again when you let that feeling return on its own."

"But if it keeps getting destroyed…"

"Then you fix it again. But, that is just the way of my people. I do not know what the appropriate response is for humans."

He smiled at her. Sometimes he loved her straightforward wisdom. "Pretty much the same thing, I guess," he said, "but I guess I just really needed to hear it."

They both could hear more crashes and loud booms in the distance. "We really must return," she said. "Our friends need us."

And in that moment, Cyborg knew he had to go to them: the people he called "home."

The team had regrouped while Kardiak decided to continue on its rampage. "So, any other ideas?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg was just catching up to them, already checking some stats on his computer. "Don't think so. Its limbs are well-programmed to return to the mainframe, just like mine. Did Robin ever figure anything out about the heart?"

He was still sore from his last encounter with it. He shook his head. "No," he said, "it's pretty determined."

Raven, all the while, was watching Kardiak as it shuffled down the streets, smashing more buildings in its wake. There was just something they were missing. She watched its flailing limbs, searching her vast knowledge of creatures they had dealt with and her own history of magic for an answer. "A hydra," she said at last.

Beast Boy would never fail to be the confused one. "Um…a what now?"

"Hydra. It was a multi-headed serpent," Raven explained. "For every one head you cut off, two more would grow back."

"Sounds like a nightmare, Cyborg said with a shiver.

"It was, but the only way to defeat it was to cauterize the stump before the heads could grow back. If we cut off the limbs…"

Archangel realized it first. "I know where this is leading." He ignited his fists.

"Think you can sever them again?" Robin asked.

Raven shook her head. "That spell takes a lot. I was lucky to use it twice. If we work together on it, we have a pretty good chance. Archangel is in charge of cauterizing the stumps. The rest of us need to work on getting it in one place and taking the limbs off."

"Can do!" Beast Boy said. "I'm a master of distractions." He transformed into an elephant and ambled off.

"Beast Boy, wait!"

Perhaps luck was on his side this time. As Beast Boy smashed into the side of Kardiak, he knocked it off balance. Thankfully, that stopped its rampage, and it fell over. The rest of the Titans caught up.

Robin reached them first, and started pulling out his own blade to hack away at the tentacles. But, like Cyborg, he found that the metal exterior was hard to get through. He was about to give up and switch tools when a green starbolt hit and melted a hole in the metal. He smiled up at Starfire now that he had an opening to start hacking off the limb. Severing the wires that held it together made all the difference.

As the tentacle fell off and flopped to the ground, Robin called for Archangel, and he launched a jet of flames into the stump. The frayed wires were soldered off and the metal melted as he increased the intensity of the fire. In no time at all, the stump was a melted and cauterized mess. No signal could get out to the severed limb.

Cyborg was immediately on top of the flopping limb, holding it down while Raven smashed it to bits with levitated objects. "It worked!" Cyborg said, sounding surprised by the result.

"Yeah," Raven said, "my ideas usually do."

By now, Kardiak had lurched to its feet. It was determined to continue on, one tentacle gone or not. "You don't suppose we can get it to hold still like that again, do ya?" Cyborg said.

With a new plan in motion, things worked so much better. Starfire would blast holes in the metal, leaving Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven the opportunity to tear apart the limbs. Archangel kept pace, burning up the sections they cut off.

Still, Kardiak continued to put up a fight. It realizes a big source of its problem was Archangel, and once more tried to suck him up using one of its remaining limbs. Archangel was quicker this time, and let loose flames to be sucked up the vacuum. That burned a good deal of its insides, and it backed off quick.

They could only keep up this plan for so long, Robin thought. It would still keep fighting them for as long as it could. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven still had a good hold on destroying the tentacles. He went for the heart.

But Robin had not figured out how to break the strong glass surrounding the mainframe. He put everything he had into it, all to no avail. It had clearly prepared for facing off against them and had given itself some decent upgrades.

Robin was out of breath, having punched, kicked, and everything else he could to break it. A hand tapped his shoulder, and Cyborg was at his side. The whole of Kardiak now was just one big mess with the heart still scooting around on what was left of its legs.

"I got this," Cyborg said.

Robin stepped aside, glad he could count on his friend to take care of even the toughest heavy-duty jobs. Cyborg cracked his knuckles, and reared back a punch. "This is for messin' with my grandad's garage," he said before shattering the red glass with his fist.

Reaching inside, he pulled out a handful of wires from the core, completely shutting down Kardiak. "And that's for messin' with my city."

He pitched the wires aside, and Kardiak slumped over, defeated. Cyborg hopped off Kardiak and rejoined his friends. "No, let's see about getting this place cleaned up and getting back to work. I've got a few new ideas for our little building project."

"Oh man, Kardiak destroyed it again. And we were almost done," Beast Boy whined.

Cyborg smiled at Starfire. "Well, then we just gotta keep trying to build it back."

XXX

The second time around at rebuilding the garage did not take nearly as long, though it required a lot more work. Cyborg had decided that the best way to restore this relic was through the help of others.

The Titans East readily agreed to come and help pitch in. Somehow, Cyborg believed that they just wanted an excuse to visit and jumped at the chance. It was good to have old friends back. After having helped them build their own tower, they were more than happy to return the favor.

Even Fixit was willing to come and help. The artificial repairman still kept contact with Cyborg, even if he had not fully committed to joining the rest of human society. "I can make improvements," he said as Cyborg showed him the plans.

A normal person might have been offended when Fixit suggested there might be a flaw in his plans. But Cyborg knew it was a sign that his friend would help. "I'd appreciate that," Cyborg said, already discussing new ideas.

All these people, coming together to work on the project, it was even better than before. Maybe this was that feeling that Starfire was talking about. This garage was more than just a building. It was the people and memories that went with it. And right now, this memory was like home. And in that moment, he knew exactly what to do when the project was finished.

Robin had arranged for a grand opening ceremony once they had finished. Quite a bit of Jump City's population had shown up, eager to see all the commotion. It was hard not to want to come to see what Cyborg had arranged.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the mayor announced from his podium, "it gives me great pleasure today to be announcing the completion of a civic project taken on by our own local heroes, the Teen Titans. Through their work over the past few weeks, they have inspired our community to continue with restoration projects all over the city to help keep our valued buildings and historical treasures alive and well."

"How long do we have to stand up here smiling like idiots?" Beast Boy muttered before Cyborg elbowed him in the ribs.

"And furthermore," the mayor continued, "these projects are not only to restore our history, but to invest in the future. At the behest of Cyborg, who headed this project, this new garage is being converted into an automotive technical school to help provide the skills and jobs to those in need of a career in the field."

"So, that's what the big surprise is?" Robin asked.

"Yep, I figured this place was like my home. It's where I learned everything I needed. I always had a place here. So, I wanted others to feel that. It'll go to better use if others have a place to learn about the stuff they love."

Robin clapped him on the shoulder. "Pretty cool of you."

"Yeah, yeah, sappy stuff. When do we get lunch?" Beast Boy interrupted.

"Are you not going to miss your home," Starfire asked.

"A little," Cyborg sighed. "But this way, I'm not totally leaving it. It'll be in good hands, and a lot of people will be getting some good use out of it. I guess knowing how it'll help people helped me get rid of that daimas feeling."

Starfire smiled, glad her friend had found his peace with the situation. Of all the Titans, Cyborg was the most sensitive to his humanity, and through him, she learned more than she could have ever hoped about human feelings. Seeing him happy could always put a smile on her face.

Cyborg looked out towards the tower. "But you know, right now, I think I just want to go home. What do ya say, BB, a round of Turbo Racers?"

That seemed to perk everyone up, and they started heading back. It really was home, Cyborg thought, and there were plenty of memories to be made there.

XXX

Blackfire hated waiting more than anything. For several weeks now, she had been waiting for an answer to her latest transmission. This is what she got for entrusting her hopes in morons.

When she had finally received an answer, she decided to set up a face-to-face meeting. Best if they could see what would happen if they tested her patience again.

Seeing her contact, how he cowered before here, was a feeling she wanted to relish. It was good to be the one holding all the cards. "You seemed incredibly adamant to seek us out. You have piques our curiosity," he said.

"Good," she said, giving him a smug smile. "I believe I have something you want."

He shook his head. "We had since abandoned that endeavor after our last dealings with you. It's not worth the loss of that many lives again."

Blackfire laughed and shook her head. "I don't think you understand. I have no intention of you retrieving her again. I want you to help me destroy her, enact your vengeance, if you will."

His eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Such destruction was a travesty which we do not wish to relive. But the risk…"

"I'm the only risk you have to worry about," she snarled, holding up the power amplifier attached to her wrist. It let out a high-pitched whine as it powered up. "See, this time, you are going to follow all instructions."

One of his associates spoke up. "My lord, this troq is merely trying to…"

He never finished that thought before Blackfire reduced him to a pile of ash. Her contact looked at her with resignation. He had no choice. "I see then," was all he said. "Very well, but let me tell you that I may have something of interest for you."

He leaned in, muttering his explanation to her. For once, Blackfire was surprised. "You are certain?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Indeed. You may see for yourself if you do not believe me."

"And what are you hoping to get out of this?" This meeting was taking longer than she wanted, and that was starting to nag her. And it was even more troublesome when they threw in unexpected things like this.

He shrugged. "Do with the information what you will. We would just like you to know so that we may insure our own best interests."

She nodded, knowing they had played her well. "I can't guarantee you total protection, but know that no harm will come to you from my hand." She glanced at the smoldering pile of ash. "At least no one else."

He nodded in agreement. "Then you shall have him released to you so long as that is true."

Blackfire shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way."

"Very well. When shall we begin?"

She smiled. "Soon."


	13. Episode 13: Switched Again

**Episode 13: Switched Again**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _Finally, we're really on the downward swing for this. Only two chapters left to go! And, over last week, we broke 9,000 views! I'm thinking we're going to hit the big 10K by the time this story finishes in late January/early February. Anyway, enjoy, and no I don't own the Teen Titans._

* * *

 **Tamaran, 1 Year Ago**

There were certain kinds of quiet that were nice, peaceful even. Having the time to think without interruption was a gift. This was not one of those kinds of quiet. This was a quiet of anxious waiting, dreading the unknown. It was a quiet where one wished for the company of others rather than the loneliness of silence. But there was no one to be found. Such was Starfire's predicament.

She sat patiently by her parents' bedsides, waiting for Blackfire's return. For several days now, her parents had been unable to leave their bed due to their illness. It had started with a spotting rash, but now the fatigue and the weakness in their muscles had left them confined to bed. Starfire and Rulore had been up, night and day, caring for them, hoping for some sign of improvement.

In the meantime, Blackfire had to rule in their stead. She had been summoned to meet with the Gordanian leaders to discuss terms of peace. This was a bit unheard of since the Gordanians never talked peace. But somehow, Blackfire had arranged a meeting, and Starfire watched her sister leave with Tamaranean guards. Since then, all she could do was sit, wait, and wring her hands.

She jumped when the double doors swung open with a loud groan. Blackfire strode into the room, her eyes cast down, trying to steady her breath. "Sister, what has happened?" Starfire asked, running up to her. "What is wrong?"

Blackfire's lips trembled, as if unsure what was an appropriate emotion to express. After a long pause, she spoke. "They have agreed to leave Tamaran and to cease aggressions."

Starfire could only muster a small smile. "That is good, yes? We can have the peace needed to rebuild and…"

"That's not all," Blackfire said. "They had terms of their own."

"Well, what are those demands? Surely, we can…"

Blackfire shook her head. "Most of these demands can be met, but there's this one... Koriand'r, they demand living tribute."

Starfire's brows knit together. "Sister, such a request is…it is deplorable. Surely you found another way."

"No, they would not even consider peace otherwise. They only demand one: you."

"Me?"

Blackfire bit her lip before letting the words spill out. "We've already had to admit defeat. This isn't a term of peace. This is them flaunting how they defeated us. The only thing that will keep them from completely obliterating Tamaran is if they can have a member of the royal family as a war prize. They said they would leave me to rule as regent, but they will take the second in line."

"Absolutely not!" It was Rulore who had shouted, her face contorted as though she would kill the Gordanians herself. "How can you even thik of such a thing, Kommand'r? Giving away your own sister! And after we just lost…"

Blackfire stiffened, still trying to maintain the air of Grand Ruler. "I know what we've lost. But Ryand'r's death proved to us we cannot escape them. That failed refugee mission cannot happen again. I will not allow the loss of that many lives once more. We are not getting a choice in this. It's either they get her, or we all die."

Rulore pursed her lips together, and Starfire could hear the faint grinding of her teeth. She wanted to scream at Blackfire; she could feel it. "I'll do it," Starfire said, letting out all the air she had been holding in.

"You will do no such thing," Rulore said. "Koriand'r, what they do to their slaves…it's an atrocity on another level. You have no idea what…"

"I know exactly what they do." Starfire was trembling. "I have heard you, when you told mother stories about what they did to you. You did not know Kommand'r and I could hear you. I know what they have done."

Silence filled the room once more: Blackfire too shocked to say anything, Starfire too frightened, and Rulore too angry. At last, Rulore spoke. "Then you know what sort of horrors I went through. Koriand'r, I would not wish that kind of torment on my worst enemies. To have it happen to someone I love…"

"I am not saying this decision is easy," Starfire shouted. She looked to her parents, still in the throes of feverish sleep. "But if this is all they require to save Tamaran, I will do it."

"I forbid it!" Galfore roared as he came stomping through the doors.

Starfire looked away from him, not wanting him to see the tears forming in her eyes. "You once said I would have to protect my home one day. This is the one way I can do that now."

"You are not going," Galfore said. "We will find another way."

Blackfire sighed and nodded. "Yes, Galfore. We will find another way. We cannot afford to lose even one more."

Galfore sent the sisters away, hoping to discuss matters with the Grand Ruler when he awoke and to give Rulore a rest.

Blackfire was already marching off in a huff. Starfire's hand grabbed her shoulder before she could get too far. Tears were forming in the corner of Starfire's eyes. "I'll do it," she said, in as steady a voice as she could muster.

"But, Galfore and Rulore…"

"It is me they want. It is my decision alone."

Blackfire's eyes shifted back and forth, studying her sister. She sighed, her mouth crinkling in a half-frown. "You sure?"

Starfire nodded vigorously. "Yes, arranged for me to meet the Gordanians first thing in the morning."

Blackfire shook her head. "This isn't going to be easly. I didn't want to be in this position."

"I do not blame you," Starfire said. "But if this is what it takes for peace, I will do it."

Blackfire nodded. "I'll arrange it then."

XxX

Starfire knew this would be her last chance. She stood beside her parents' beds. Rulore slept nearby, holding her mother's hand. She had to be extremely quiet. Right about now, Starfire was having second thoughts. But she had to go along with it. No matter what suffering the Gordanians would inflict, this would bring peace.

She leaned forward and gingerly touched her father's forehead. "Goodbye," she said, holding back a sob.

It was even harder when she had to do the same for her mother. She snuck out, ready to meet Blackfire and the Gordanians.

Blackfire stood before Lord Trogar, trying her best to stand tall and strong. She had to look like an equal, and not as a lesser race who had just surrendered. "As we agreed," she said stiffly. "Remember that."

Lord Trogar smirked, showing his teeth, as if to say "What you say doesn't matter, troq." Blackfire knew that there was little chance they would treat her sister with any civility. She glared at him.

As Starfire arrived, Trogar's smile got even bigger. "So, the prize arrives," he hissed.

Starfire stood firm. "I am here, as promised."

Lord Trogar nodded for a couple of his soldiers. They came forward and placed a set of metal cuffs on Starfire's wrists and hands. They limited her movement and cancelled out her powers. "For safety reasons, you understand," he said with a sickly grin.

"Of course," Starfire said steadily. She was doing everything she could to mentally prepare herself for what awaited her.

She turned back and looked at Blackfire one last time as they led her away. She hoped this was the right decision.

* * *

 **Jump City, Present**

Slade's breath was raspy and labored. Never before had he been brought this low. He still had not been able to leave his hospital bed in his lair, and all he could do was lay there and listen to the annoying beep of the heart monitor. A man was waiting at the foot of his bed. "You have…brought it?" Slade wheezed.

The man nodded. "It wasn't easy, but yes, I was able to retrieve it. You're the mysterious Slade?"

"I may not look it, but yes," Slade said, clearly not amused. "More importantly, is it active?"

The man paused, thinking about how his answer would be taken. "It can be. Best not to just before I send it in. How did this happen?"

Slade slammed his fist against the edge of the bed. "That is none of your concern!" he roared. "Again, I ask you, are you ready to follow the directions I have given you?"

"Y-yes, everything is ready."

Slade let himself relax once more. "Good. Good. I expect you to send our little gift out tonight."

"Tonight?" the man sputtered.

An eyebrow raised. "Is that a problem?"

He quickly backpedaled. "No, of course not, but, so soon? Shouldn't we - "

With a grunt of pain, Slade sat up. "No, it must be tonight! I do not want my former apprentice to even have a chance at completing my greatest opus: destroying the Titans."

"Your former apprentice?"

Slade glowered. "Yes, the one who put me in this state, if you must know. She 'outgrew' me, needed her independence. I can understand that, but she will not take this glory from me. Now, send it."

The man scurried off, afraid of Slade's wrath, even in his weakened state. Slade coughed a few times before settling back into the bed. His butler, Wintergreen, was at his side in an instant. "You must rest, master. This insistence on getting revenge is not good for your health."

"You think this is revenge?" Slade sputtered. "She was like a child with that technology. She didn't know how to use it to its full potential, and she nearly left me for dead. She nearly killed me without even trying. There is not enough I can do in this life that would satisfy my need for retribution. No, this is about claiming what is rightfully mine. I cannot let her take that from me."

"Still, all this fuss is no good for your health. You must rest and recover, sir."

"Not until this task is complete. Don't worry, I won't be getting involved directly. If all goes well, the Titans will be put in a very weak spot."

XxX

"Anyone expecting a package?" Cyborg called, coming back to the common room.

Quiet days in the tower were few and far between, but it was still early in the day. There were a few shrugs and noncommittal sounds from the group. Very few of them even bothered to look up. Cyborg shrugged. "Okay, that means a full security search. Hope there's nothing fragile or private in here." He emphasized these last few points, hoping someone would claim it before yet another embarrassing situation happened.

"Wait! It's mine!" Beast Boy called, jogging down the hall to meet him. "It's my birthday present from the Doom Patrol."

"But, the anniversary of your birth was nearly a month ago," Starfire said.

Beast Boy's eyes were watering as he looked at Robot Man's big blocky handwriting on the label. "Yeah, it doesn't always get to me on time. Sometimes they're busy on duty or they're in a place that's too dangerous to send it on time. But, it's the thought that counts, right? Sides, Elasti-Girl always sends me the best comics, so it's worth the wait."

He was already opening the box and going through its contents. While the others considered it sweet that his adoptive family still took that kind of time and effort to make him feel special, they wondered if there were some things unsaid as well. There was no mention of Mento, and they wondered if there may have been years where they had forgotten their friend's birthday.

But, if their friend was at all disappointed, he did not show it. He merely went through his gifts, giving the occasional whoop of joy at getting a rare comic he had his eye on for some time.

Life resumed to normal as Beast Boy flopped on the couch to read his comics, and everyone else went back to their daily activities. Among these normal activities was Robin retreating to the evidence room.

This time, Starfire went with him. "Slade and Blackfire have been quiet for weeks now," Robin said. "I think they're planning something big."

"I too fear that they are planning something," Starfire said, nodding. "Blackfire has always had a way of finding others to aid her plans. I am almost certain that is what she is doing."

Robin was staring intently at various newspaper clipping hanging on the wall. "But Slade doesn't do allies. He only looks for apprentices, something more permanent."

His shoulders sagged. "Are we even sure they are still working together. I know my sister. Such a partnership with someone like Slade is bound not to endure," she said.

Robin sighed. "Unfortunately, we know nothing until they make a move."

"So, we must…wait?"

He put a reassuring hand on her. "Unfortunately, yes, but that doesn't mean we can't prepare. We can be ready for them, and whatever they throw at us."

Starfire gave him a weak smile. She did not begrudge his optimism. He had been through his fair share of hardship, to be sure, but he did not understand the harsh realities of war she had seen. Humans could be counted on for one thing: hope. She was not going to take that away from him.

"Of course, Robin. We can only prepare and wait."

Cyborg decided to take a chance. "Archie, you been alright?" he asked.

Archangel raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Have I seemed upset? I have not intentionally tried to convey that."

Cyborg processed his answer. "That's not exactly the same thing as actually being alright. But, I mean, you've seemed off lately. It's like you're not really there, you know?"

He shook his head. "I do not believe I understand. But, believe me, nothing is wrong. I have been concerned about Starfire. She is very upset with these thoughts about her sister. I am worried for her."

Cyborg grunted somewhat in approval. "Yeah, she's really been on edge lately." He did not add anything to that thought. He was still suspicious of Archangel's answer. It was something else bothering him entirely, he was sure of it.

Archangel, meanwhile, whether he could admit to it or not was clearly lost in his own thoughts. True, he was worried about how Starfire would handle her upcoming confrontation with her sister. More importantly, he was worried about what would happen in its aftermath, and who would not be satisfied with its outcome. A stronger force still weighed him down with a great pressure, and there was nothing he could do about it.

In that moment, he desired nothing more than to tell Cyborg the burden in his heart, the secret growing in his very room. But he could not. He could call it being strategic, trying to pick his moments, avoiding being found out, but that could not change what it really was: cowardice. He was just afraid of what his friends would think, or of being found out.  
Beast Boy interrupting to gab about what was on the menu for lunch saved Archangel from having to make that tough decision. Before any arguments could break out though, an ear-splitting crack silenced everyone. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked behind them. The crate which had contained Beast Boy's birthday present was lying in a pile of splinters.

"That's odd," Cyborg said, hoping it was just a coincidence.

"Um, maybe the box just finally gave out," Beast Boy suggested. "I mean, you know, postal care and everything."

"I feel as though you two are trying to make something that is not a coincidence into a coincidence," Archangel said.

Raven was examining it carefully. "No sign of anything strange."

But just as she said it, a bright light burst forth from the padding on the floor and Raven was thrown back. Before any of the others could react, the light filled the room, knocking them all to the ground. Robin and Starfire were not spared either and succumbed to the mysterious force upon entering the room. They were completely helpless.

XxX

Raven groaned, slowly coming to. Coming around from these sorts of things always filled Raven with a sense of dread. Mass knockout sessions like these never were a good sign. So, it came as no surprise to her to have an odd feeling that something was wrong.

She could not place what it was that felt off, but she just did not feel like herself. "Fell!" That was it. Even unconscious, her friends could still give off some emotional vibes. But right now, she sensed nothing. So, someone had gone and messed with her powers. Just great, she thought. Still, situations like this weren't unheard of, and the team did have contingency plans for just such emergencies.

Sitting up, though, made her see that the problem was much worse. Among the first things she noticed was that she saw…herself lying across from her. When she looked at her legs and shoes did she piece it all together. The green spandex gave it away. She was in Robin's body. "Oh, for the love of Azar, not this again," she grumbled, getting to her feet, or rather Robin's feet.

Well, among the other things that felt new, she could not get over how much energy she felt in her body. Between all the workouts and probably coffee to get him through the mornings, Robin's body felt full of pep. No wonder he was such an eager beaver all the time.

"Star," Raven called in a half-whisper. She was praying Starfire had at least ended up in her body. At least she knew how to use it, and, more importantly, it was not one of the boys in her body. "Star!"

A groan not too far from her dashed that hope. She heard Starfire's voice, but it was Cyborg's body that was stirring. Just great. "Raven," she responded, blinking. "What is…?"

Raven knealt beside her. "Yeah…we've all done some kind of body switch again. You're in Cyborg's body. Probably have his vision right now."

"I do not understand what these flashing messages mean," Starfire said, processing all the computer readouts coming to her cybernetic eye. "And some of them are beeping. Have I broken something?"

"Yeah, I don't know about that," she answered. "But once we figure out whose body Cyborg's in, he'll help. Right now, I'm just hoping Beast Boy isn't the one with my body."

Raven noticed her own body starting to stir and held her breath. When she heard Cyborg's voice coming out of her mouth, she was somewhat relieved. "Okay, so not the absolute worst thing that could happen."

"I'm still dreamin', right?" Cyborg asked in disbelief, looking at himself. "Who's this? Who am I?" he gasped. A pillow on the couch exploded from his sudden outburst of fear, clearly not used to having Raven's powers.

"You're me," Raven said, "or rather, you're in my body. Star's in yours."

He started feeling around his new body, blushing as he realized what she said was true. "Oh, my god! I'm a girl now!" Another pillow burst in a flurry of feathers.

"Yeah, and you have to quit doing that," she said. "Acting up like this only makes my powers…"

"Ugh, did I die or something?" Beast Boy's voice mumbled.

"Oh, that's nice. He's in Starfire's body," Raven said to herself. "Highly volatile powers in his hands. Perfect."

"What are you talking…ahhh!" He squealed when he noticed he was wearing Starfire's clothes. "What's going on? How did I get here? What am I wearing?"

The others looked at him. "I mean, it looks good on you, Star," he backpedaled.

"Okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Archangel's in Beast Boy's body, since I doubt any of us were spared this humiliation," Raven said. "And Robin's in his body."

Starfire was trying to shake Robin, or rather Robin in Archangel's body, awake. Raven, on the other hand, had a look of realization on her face and dashed out of the room. "Hey, did we lose power or something?" Robin asked as he came to.

The others grimaced. "Oh, right, blind," Beast Boy said, saying what was on everyone's mind.

"Blind? What are you talking about? Hey, where's my uniform?"

"Uh, Raven's got it on," Cyborg said, answering honestly.

"What?"

In the meantime, Raven had returned with a small blindfold in her hands. It was the exact same one Beast Boy had used when they had tested themselves against their weaknesses and Archangel had designed a maze. She placed it around the eyes on Beast Boy's body. The others looked ate her as though she were crazy. "What?" she said. "In Beast Boy's body, he'll be able to see, and opening his eyes to all of that is going to be a huge shock to his senses."

"And I thank you for that," Archangel said, starting to sit up, "but why is this of any concern?" However, he became aware fairly quickly of why. "This does not feel right."

"Yeah, welcome to being in Beast Boy's body," Cyborg answered. "Not the worst thing to happen to you. At least with Beast Boy, you'll still have a better sense of smell and hearing than the rest of us."

"And Robin's in your body, so…yeah, there's that," Beast Boy added.

"So, that explains some problems," Robin said, hobbling up on his new goat legs.

"And since you're in Beast Boy's body, you could be able to see," Raven said. "With a little gradual adjustment, you could…"

Archangel bit his lip. "No, it truly would be a great gift, but this is temporary, right?"

"We're hoping so," Cyborg answered. "I'm not about to spend the rest of my life as Raven."

Archangel nodded. "Then, if that is the case, and I were to end up back in my own body, then being able to see for just a little while would only make me long for it more. I could not live with that disappointment. But tell me, how did such unusual circumstances such as this come to be?"

Starfire and Raven exchanged a look, still not used to seeing each other in Cyborg and Robin's bodies respectively. "The last time this happened, it was the work of the Puppet King," Starfire answered.

"Oh, that little pipsqueak," Cyborg said in almost a growl. "Turned me into a frickin' zombie. When I get my hands on him…"

"It could be possible for someone to have tampered with Beast Boy's package," Raven said, ignoring Cyborg's rant.

The team went towards the shattered remains of the package. They scoured through the broken wood and straw padding. "Well, this isn't what I expected," Cyborg said, holding up a wooden doll.

It was in fact the Puppet King, though incredibly lifeless now. Cyborg flipped it over, examining it. "So, it was him, somehow. But, what happened after he switched our bodies?"

Raven stepped up. "Well, you have my powers now. You can sense how long ago his magic was active and maybe a few other clues. But that may be a little advanced."

Cyborg sucked in a breath. Mixed up bodies was one thing, but mixed up powers was another matter entirely. "I…"

"It'll be fine, I think. Look, just follow directions. Concentrate. Imagine sending your very being into the puppet. And then, just sort of listen. You'll pick up some information."

Cyborg sighed and closed his eyes, trying to focus. His face contorted in deep thought. It was not a good look on her own face, Raven thought. He eventually let out the breath he was holding. "Can't do it," he muttered. "But maybe I can run some analysis on my computer. We could maybe learn something, at the very least, how to reactivate him long enough to switch us back."

"If you can convince him to do that," Robin said. "This feels like a setup somehow. It almost looks like someone rigged the Puppet King to be active long enough to switch us, and then shut down."

"So, who could do that?" Beast Boy asked.

"Hard to say. Hopefully, Cyborg's analysis can tell us how it was done, and then we can maybe figure out who has that capability."

"So, what are we supposed to do until then?" Beast Boy said. "We're in each other's bodies for crying out loud! How are we supposed to…?"

"It'll be fine," Robin said, trying to convince himself of his reassuring tone. We'll just have to adjust for a little while."

XxX

"Cyborg, I do not know the first thing about using your computer," Starfire said with hesitation.

He was placing the Puppet King on the scanner. Very rarely did the others come into his room. Very few of them even had a reason to. The room was practically wall-to-wall computers, all very advanced, very expensive, and very fragile, according to Cyborg. No one, not even Beast Boy dared to touch them…again anyway.

"Well, the computer needs me, or rather, my body to work. I've set it up to respond to my touch. Plus, it hooks up with my own hardware so that I'm fully in sync with it. Don't worry. I'll walk you through it. Now, first, I want you to turn my right hand into the adapter."

"The…"

"Um, this one." Cyborg pushed buttons on her right arm until it resembled a less-threatening version of his sonic cannon. "Okay, now you see that hole in the wall there? Stick your arm in that, and it'll connect you."

Starfire almost jumped back as she did so. There were so many complexities to Cyborg's hardware that it sometimes frightened her. "What am I to do now?" she asked. "There are lots of confusing messages on my eye."

Cyborg did his best to keep her calm. "Okay, okay, now, look towards the bottom of the screen and look for a little icon that looks like an eyeball. That opens up the scanner application."

"I see it," she said, "but how do I…?"

"Is it highlighted?"

"Yes."

"Blink."

As Starfire did so, she let out a gasp of surprise. "I did it. Now, what am I to do, friend?"

Cyborg paused for a moment, going through the steps in his head. It had been so long since he had ever had to think about how he did these things. He just did them. And the fact of the matter was that aside from basic use of the surveillance computer in the common room, Starfire had very little experience with Earthly technology.

"Okay, so, look for something that says 'scan from port' and pick that."

"I think I've got it," she said, blinking to make the selection.

For a brief second, the scanner under the Puppet King came to life and lit up. It made several sounds like it was attempting to run, and then just shut off. "Did I do something wrong?" Starfire asked worriedly.

Cyborg grit his teeth, and a few sparks flew out of the computer. "No, I just can't remember the steps, and I can't think with Raven's powers spazzing out anytime I get frustrated. Just, go wait in the common room for a while. I need to think."

She sighed and trudged back out of the room. It felt so odd having a weight keeping her bound to the ground. She was so used to floating. She knew she had to look silly trying to walk normally with Cyborg's big clunky form. She just wished she had not disappointed him.

It was still a surreal sight looking at one's self, and Starfire almost did a double-take, yet again, as she came in to see Beast Boy, in her body, playing video games. He still did that thing where he stuck his tongue out while concentrating, and seeing her own purple tongue in this way was just odd.

She chose instead to sit with Robin, no wait…Raven by the counter. "Anything?" Raven asked, glancing up from her book.

Starfire shook her head. "No, it is very complicated, for both Cyborg and myself. I wish I could be of better assistance."

"We'll get there. Right now, I just wish Robin would let me take the stupid mask off. It'd be so much easier to read without it. Him and his secret identity thing."

Starfire laughed. She was glad Raven was handling the situation well. But then, this was probably one of the first times Raven could actually feel something without her powers going off. With the ability to release all that pent-up emotion, she could keep a level head through all of this.

Beast Boy had gotten up to join them. "I don't know how you keep up with nine stomachs." He was already starting to rummage around the fridge for probably the third time since switching bodies.

"You don't," Starfire answered. "Most of them are just for storage, and each one could probably contain six months-worth of food. Cyborg assures me that this part of Earth doesn't suffer from famine frequently. I only keep about two weeks-worth for emergencies."

Beast Boy paused. "So, I guess I didn't need all this then." He used her long tongue to regurgitate a small mountain of food onto the counter, all of it looking completely untouched as when he had first grabbed it.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Raven said, looking a little green.

Starfire was more impressed that he had figured out how to do that with her body so quickly. "Sides, not like anything tastes good anyway," he continued. "I think the tofu went bad or something."

Starfire shook her head. "It did not spoil. You have Tamaranean taste buds now. Everything tastes different."

"So, that's why you still put gravy on waffles?" Cyborg asked as he entered the room.

She nodded. "An unusual combination for humans, but incredibly delightful to me."

"Any luck?" Raven asked.

Cyborg slumped into a chair. "No, can't get anything to work, and…stuff might've happened."

She raised an eyebrow. He sighed. "Some things blew up. I still can't get a handle on these powers."

"Whatever," Beast Boy said, going back to the original conversation. "There is no way you're getting me to eat that alien food. I don't care if it suddenly tastes like chocolate now. Food isn't supposed to move."

They heard the doors whoosh open as Robin and Archangel rejoined them. The two looked badly bruised. "Dude! What did you do to my body?" Beast Boy asked Archangel.

Robin seemed out of breath. "Training didn't exactly go that well. Look, if we're going to get through this, we really need a handle on this power thing. Star, Raven, you've done it before."

"We took some time to get to know each other," Raven explained. "Once we had a context to understand how our powers have affected us, we had that much more of a will to learn how to use them right."

Robin did not exactly like that answer. If some monster struck now, they would be doomed, flattened in less than a minute. They did not have that kind of time. Still, what other choice did they have? "Okay, crash course in adjustment then. We pair off to work with each other."

"It'll have to do," Cyborg said, heading off with Raven.

XxX

"So, I don't get why we're here," Robin said.

He and Archangel were on the tower roof, a light breeze brushing against them. "I suppose the best way for you to learn about my abilities is through my culture. You know I come up here for morning and evening prayers."

"Yeah, but I'm not a very religious type."

It was true. Batman always taught him to have faith in justice, himself, and his mentor. Gods did not answer prayers. Only people could do that for themselves.

"You don't need to be," Archangel answered. "Evening prayers are a form of active meditation. They are times to hone our abilities. To begin, take your hands and position them so."

He took Robin's fingers. With his left hand, he bent his fingers into various positions, not painfully so, but in an odd shape. When Robin thought about it, he knew he had seen this gesture before, though he could not look at it now to be sure. He had seen Archangel use it before, and sometime Starfire when she showed him respect. But, he had seen this somewhere else before; he just knew it.

While he had managed fairly well with Archangel's blindness, it was still a shock. He had managed before with visual impairment, but only temporarily, nothing so permanent as this.

Archangel still held his positioned left hand in front of Robin's chest. "This symbol means 'el,' or 'soul.' This…" He positioned Robin's right hand in the same way, but upside down. "This is 'at,' or 'body.' Together, they make the flame."

Robin's hands were held in front of him, just below his chest. "In that space between your hands, deep in your core, do you feel a warmth?" Archangel asked.

"Kinda."

"Every bit of heat in your body, I want you to pull towards that core. Concentrate it until it is one ball of energy in your very center. Make sure that is the heat of your soul, not your anger. Anger burns twice as hot, but is not so easy to control. By now, you should feel as though your chest might burst with all that energy. Now, direct that up your chest and through your arms until you feel it in your palms and fingertips, and then…ignite."

Like a fireplace starting up on the first day of a cold winter, Robin heard the roar of the flames igniting on his palm. It was pleasantly warm, not a burning feeling. Archangel felt the heat of the fire near him and nodded in approval. "Good, when you feel your soul course through your body and can direct it with focus, you have mastered the flames."

"So, how do I throw it, like you do?"

He shook his head. "You do not throw it. Much like breathing the air out of your lungs, you release your soul from the body. It will come back to you. It always does. How are you on finding your sense of direction?"

"Um, okay, I guess. I've had some training in this sort of thing. But, sometimes I get a little turned around."

He put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "I've learned a few tricks over the years."

"Archangel, wait," Robin said. "Aren't you even tempted? I mean, you could see now."

"But to what avail, Robin? I see, and then what? I have no context to understand these new sights. I would not know where to begin, how to re-orient my entire world. And for what purpose? Only to have all of that lost to me again? No, much as it would make me happy, it would bring just as much misery."

Robin could understand that, sort of. He had never had a situation like that, but it made sense. "Hey, when you said anger makes the fire uncontrollable… You say that from experience, don't you?"

Archangel was starting to head back down the tower. He turned. "Yeah, not often, but it has happened before."

Robin scraped his new hooves against the roof. "Look, if I've ever done anything to…"

He laughed. "Robin, you are nothing close to the stuff that makes me that angry."

"So, what does?"

XxX

"So, you're having trouble?" Raven said, shutting the door behind her.

Given all the fragile hardware in Cyborg's room and the potentially dangerous magical stuff in hers, it seemed that the wisest idea to get Cyborg familiar with her powers was to go somewhere safe. That happened to be the basement.

"Yeah," Cyborg said. "I just can't get used to it. I mean, even if I feel happy, something goes wrong."

"Welcome to my world."

"I feel bad for you: never being able to feel stuff. Must be hard."

Raven was shuffling boxes around the floor. She never realized how much easier this was with Robin's strength. "I can feel things," she said, a little shorter than she intended. "It's just that I have to be more in control of it."

Cyborg threw up his arms. "But that's just it. You can't control emotions. They just happen. That's life."

Raven glared at him. "You can, and I can show you how. Just, sit for a second."

He groaned and sat on top of a box. Raven tried to be more comforting. "It's not fun, I'll agree. Having to restrain every little thing, even the good stuff, it…well, it sucks. But, it's how I work. I think you can manage for a couple of days."

Cyborg sighed. "Okay, I get it, so what now?"

"I don't know. When Star and I did this, we pretty much told each other our life stories. But, since you guys already know about most of that now…"

His eyebrow raised. "But you didn't tell Star about Trigon. She found out when the rest of us did."

"Look, I didn't tell her everything. I only told her what she needed to know to use my powers."

He reached out and grabbed her hands. "Then tell me."

She took a deep breath and sat on the ground. She gestured for Cyborg to join her, and he hastily sat across from her. "First, find your center."

He gave her a look. "It means to find that spot where you just fell…connected," she explained.

Cyborg thought for a moment. "So…like when I'm hooked up to all my systems."

"Kinda. Does that give you a sense of inner peace?"

"Totally. When everything runs the way it's supposed to, that's the most beautiful thing in the world."

Raven nodded. "Sure, that works. So, think about that. Put yourself in that moment."

He closed his eyes, imagining it. "Okay, got it."

"Now, capture that feeling. Anytime you start to feel anything, think about that. It'll keep everything in check. From there, you focus to get the powers to work." She started to stand up. "So, let's do a little practice."

"Raven, Cyborg said, "thank you."

She furrowed her brow. "For what?"

"You didn't assume that because I was a cyborg, I didn't have feelings."

She helped him to his feet. "Of course not. Cyborg, I know you better than that."

"I guess I'm just not used to being treated like that." He shrugged it off, pretending not to care. "So…what was it like?"

"What?"

"When did they tell you about your father?"

"I was five."

XxX

Starfire had wasted no time rushing Beast Boy off to her room. He had to work at it to keep up as Starfire was talking a mile a minute. She eagerly told him about her life on Tamaran, most of it anyway. She willingly told him all about learning to use her own powers when she was young.

But it was when she got to speaking about her sister and the Gordanian attack that she finally started to fall silent. He could tell there were points where she was trying to avoid saying something.

When she had finished, Beast Boy found the opportunity to speak. "So, how do you do it?" he asked.

She cocked her head in confusion. "I do not understand."

"You powers run on good feelings. After…after everything that happened to you, the Gordanians, your sister selling you off for peace, all of that. How…how do you even find those good feelings?"

She did not say anything at first. She just thought. She studied Beast Boy, as if trying to figure out what he was really asking. "A lot of bad things did happen, but so did a lot of good things. Whenever I need to use my abilities, I think about those good memories. For all those terrible things that happened, remembering all I have to be thankful for makes it…better. It does not make it go away, but it makes you feel better."

"Oh, yeah, I get that." Beast Boy curled up his knees. He did not say anything else.

"Friend, I feel that you have many of the bad memories as well. Does this have something to do with the gift from the Doom Patrol?"

"No…kinda. Look, Star, what's that word you use for Galfore?"

"K'norfka."

"Right, well, that's what the Doom Patrol was to me. Star, a lot…a lot of bad stuff happened before I found them. It wasn't just losing my parents. I mean, that was bad, but some of the stuff that happened after…I can't even…I don't want to talk about it."

Before he could spiral down any further, he was buried in a hug. True, it was the cold metal hug he was used to from his best friend, but he could feel Starfire's heart behind it. "I miss them," he sobbed into her shoulder.

"There are lots of good memories you have with them," Starfire said. "It is hard at first, but those memories will lift you up. There are memories I cannot bear to think about either, but the good ones help."

"Thanks, Star."

But there was something nagging at him. What sort of memories would Starfire not want to think about?

XxX

When they had switched partners that afternoon, Beast Boy took Archangel outside. "Now, how do you propose we go about this? Archangel asked. "Are you going to tell me how you got your abilities, or something to that effect?"

Beast Boy was hardly paying attention. He was busy making sure they had enough room to practice. "Nah, mutated DNA and all that fun stuff. Nothing too spectacular. It's pretty easy. You just think of the animal, and then turn into one. Easy as that."

Archangel had a feeling that things were not as simple as Beast Boy was making them out to be. "Beast Boy, I have never known any of these animals you can turn into."

"Yeah, you haven't seen them or anything but I think I've got that figured out. You see stuff with touch and smell. So, if I describe them in words you understand, then boom! We got this."

"I do not think that is how…"

"Okay, let's get started with something easy: a chimp. The DNA isn't that hard to manipulate for that to work. So, a chimp is basically…"

It was difficult to process how Beast Boy described animals. Archangel could tell he was trying. He was really trying to be accommodating and understanding of his situation. But it was not as simple as Beast Boy hoped. By the time Archangel was done trying to imagine what had been described, he was a hairy, misshapen mess.

"Uh, okay, let's try something you may have more familiarity of. Um…a goat! Yeah, we can do that, since you're body already had some of the parts."

That turned out even worse. Beast Boy could not even look at it. It was like looking at a Picasso painting. "Okay, so we've got to rethink that. Maybe if we…"

"Beast Boy, I appreciate your attempts to make this work, but these are animals I do not know. How can I possibly turn myself into them?

He seemed to light up at that. "That's it! You don't know these animals. You're not from Earth."

Archangel failed to see the correlation. "Those are all obvious statements."

Beast Boy shook his head. "What I mean is we need animals you do know. You said that in that Great Garden place, they raise animals from other planets, right?"

"Yes."

"And you know those animals, right?"

"Easily. I've had enough experience with them."

"Then that's all you need to do!" Beast Boy said. "Just think about one of those animals, and you can turn into it."

Archangel was still unsure. "You're body caaan do that?"

"Yeah, I kinda figured it out by accident, but I can do alien animals. Well, go on, try it."

He sighed. What other choice did he have? He would need something strong and aggressive if he was to fend off an attack.

Beast Boy grinned ear to ear as Archangel's body began to take shape. He became a mammoth sized creature with tree-trunk-like legs and big curled horns. Its skin was rough and shielded like a rhino. Sure, some details were a little unfinished, but this would do in a pinch. "Awesome!" Beast Boy said. "What is it?"

Archangel shifted back into a human. "A dikrarn, the big predator on my homeworld. Even we know not to hunt them. Once we found the corpse of an old male. That is how I got close enough to feel what one was like."

"Um, cool," Beast Boy said. "I just hope we don't have to use that one anytime soon."

XxX

"Exactly how much martial training do you have?" Robin asked as they stepped into the training room.

"The monks of Azar gave me a basic education, and then whatever else you've taught me."

He nodded. "Better than nothing then. I guess we'll focus on using the utility equipment."

"So…"

"So, what?"

"Robin, I've been in your memories, and now I'm in your body. Let's address the elephant in the room here. I know who you are."

She saw the slight twitch of his shoulders tensing up. "Oh, yeah, I guess that was bound to happen in a situation like this," he said stiffly.

"Look, I won't tell anyone or anything."

"I know you won't. It's just the more people who know about these kinds of secrets, the more risk is involved."

Even without her empathetic senses, she could still tell he was very agitated. "Is it really that big of a deal?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Not so much for me anymore, but…"

"Batman," Raven said, finishing the thought for him. "Are you ever going to be able to get out of that shadow?"

Robin was glad he was not able to meet her gaze. He wondered how thankful Archangle was for that benefit. "It's hard, but I'm making it work one day at a time. I'm still trying to figure this stuff out myself. I was so used to being a part of a partnership, now it's a team. I guess I just don't know what I'm doing."

Raven sucked in a breath, mulling it all over. She never had experience in this area. She was so used to doing everything on her own. She never knew what it was like to have to protect and defend others until she found the Titans. "Maybe you don't have to," she said at last. "Maybe you just need to be yourself."

He smiled weakly. "Kind of hard to do when you couldn't be you for so long. I can't remember a time when I could just be a kid. It was always playing the part of Robin, or the adopted son of a millionaire, never just plain me."

"That's what this team is for. I'm trigon's daughter, for crying out loud, and you guys made it okay for me to accept that." He smiled, and she changed the subject. "Now, show me how these birdarang things work. I don't want to lose some of your fingers accidentally setting them off."

XxX

"Are we going to try analyzing the Puppet King again?" Starfire asked. "I think this attempt might be more successful. I have been practicing…"

"Actually, Star," Cyborg said, "I think this time we're just going to talk. It's probably been a shock to you to just wake up like this. It sure as heck was for me."

"You have said before you were in a vehicular accident."

He nodded. "Yeah, it was…something else. I don't think I actually died or anything, but when it happened, I thought for sure I would. It's sort of relaxing, you know? Just letting go and letting fate take care of the rest. But then, I woke up, everything going off like a computer rebooting. It was scary, I'll tell you that much."

Starfire nodded in agreement. "Everything changed. It must have been frightening."

"You don't know the half of it," Cyborg said with a half-laugh. "Even after I woke up and some stuff looked familiar, I still didn't know what was going on. I don't even know why Silas Stone took so much interest in me and used me as his project. That was just so violating. I mean, I didn't give the guy permission to play slice and dice with me, and then he just shows up and acts like some self-righteous savior to me."

"But, you relied on Stone Labs to help build our tower."

He shrugged, changing out a few old wires in his computer. "Yeah, to avoid a lawsuit, Stone gives me pretty much any supplies I ask for. It's almost like he's trying to buy my love or something, God knows why."

Starfire only sat and listened while Cyborg bustled around. She felt pretty useless while Cyborg set everything up. Cyborg continued talking. "Anyway, it was like having to start over. I had to learn how to walk, how to move, everything. And that's not counting the way people would look at me."

"I do not know what you looked like before."

"I dunno, like any other human, I guess. Course, besides Robin, you really haven't been around ordinary humans, and even Robin's iffy."

She laughed at that. Cyborg sighed. "I had it all back then," he said. "School, friends, football, even a girlfriend. I lost all of that when this happened. Look, Star, I guess my point is that it took a long time for me to get used to it all. I can't possibly expect you to figure it all out in a few hours. So, let's just start from the beginning."

Much as he hated Silas Stone, Cyborg could remember every word he had said when he was teaching him how to use his new body. He was surprised at how quickly he could recall all of that. But, despite everything, he had a lot to thank that doctor for.

XxX

It had been a long day, and everyone was glad to finally try and get some sleep, though sleeping arrangements quickly became complicated. Starfire, in Cyborg's body, still had to sleep on the charging station, meaning she had to switch with him for sleeping quarters. While that had been the ending solution, it still elicited a debate for at least an hour as the team considered the possibility of just all switching rooms.

Not that it mattered all that much to Beast Boy. He was content enough to sleep in his own bed, despite how Starfire's taller body made it so that his feet hung over the edge.

At the moment, he had agreed to try and take better care of his friend's body while he was in it, better than he took care of himself anyway. So, after a long day of grimy training, a hot shower did sound good. He was humming to himself as he turned off the water to reach for a towel.

"Ahh!" he heard Raven shriek.

He yelped in surprise as well, hastily grabbing the towel and throwing it around himself. "Raven, what the heck?"

"Sorry," she said, daring to peek to see that he was covered. "Didn't hear you when I came in. What were you doing?"

"Taking a shower," he said matter-of-factly. "What? I wasn't doing anything like that. Do you even know how long it takes to wash all this hair?"

Raven rolled her eyes. Beast Boy may have been an idiot, but he was too stupid to be doing anything awful. "Well, look who's waling a mile in someone else's shoes," she said.

"Hey, it isn't easy being an alien," he said. "I still can't get all the food stuff sorted out. Don't know how she does it."

"Yeah, well, being without my powers is no picnic either. Feel's so empty."

"I thought you'd like that," Beast Boy said. "Now you can feel stuff without consequences."

She shrugged. "It's nice, but I miss being able to just levitate stuff when I need it." Beast Boy only gave her a confused look. "It was supposed to be a joke."

"Oh, hehe, sure," he said. Raven was about to turn away and leave. "Um, Raven?"

"Yeah?"

He scratched his head, wishing he was not about to say this. "So, you've been in Starfire's body before."

"Yeah…so?"

"Did…you know that she has these…um…." He gestured his hand, pointing to her back.

Raven seemed to know exactly what he meant. "Oh, yeah, those."

"Did you ever ask her what that was all about?"

Raven sighed. "No, we really didn't ask each other stuff. We just told each other what we wanted to. I left out my dad, and I guess Starfire didn't talk about that. Look, I have my own conclusions, and Star will tell us about that stuff when she's ready."

"I guess," Beast Boy said, not feeling satisfied with that answer. He knew what it was like to keep stuff buried away and put on a good face. He hated to think that such horrible things could have happened to Starfire. "Hey, so, weird right?" he said, changing the subject.

"What is?" Raven asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm in Star's body, you're in Robin's. It's like fate or something, you know?"

"Shut up."

XxX

For the most part, everyone felt refreshed and full of hope for the next day. Cyborg had worked out a way to help Starfire use the computer again, and they hoped to have a game plan by later that afternoon.

"I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner," Cyborg said, as he began plugging some wires into Starfire. He was attaching them to a small tablet in his hands. "After our talk yesterday, it just sort of hit me. Dr. Stone used this device to help me learn how to control all my systems. This way, I'll see what you see, and I'll be able to walk you through it."

There was a loud rumble outside and the ground trembled beneath their feet. "This is not good," Starfire said.

"What is going on out there?" Cyborg hollered, coming out the door. His jaw dropped when he saw what it was out the window.

Coming up out of the water and marching onto the shore was Ternion. Ultimate destruction was coming right for them.

The Frankenstein monster-like amalgamation of Plasmus, Cinderblock, and Overload was a sight few could behold without getting squeamish, but each of the Titans looked on in horror as it lumbered closer and closer to the tower. "So…we're gonna fight that thing?" Beast Boy asked, hoping this was all some sort of prank.

"Cyborg and Starfire will have to stay here to complete their analysis," Robin concluded, brushing aside his fear and stepping into leader-mode once more. "If they can solve this body swap sooner, then all the better. We'll have to cover them until then."

The others gave a few noncommittal sounds, and even glanced around at each other. Raven, with her usual dose of sarcasm, said, "Sure, nothing could possibly blow up in our faces with this one."

Cyborg shrugged, getting ready to head back to his room to check on Starfire. "It'll have to do. We'll help you guys out as soon as we can."

"Um, go team?" Beast Boy muttered.

"You got it. Titans, go!" Robin called out.

Robin centered himself with a deep breath and ignited his fists. He had been practicing all hours to get that much down. He let his ears flick about, trying to orient himself. He could hear Ternion's thudding steps from the north. Robin did not have to bother with finding a way out of the tower as Ternion let one of its gooey tentacles shoot from the muck of Plasmus and bust through the window. He could aim for the larger target of Ternion as a whole, but the threat had to be neutralized.

He launched a fireball in the direction of the thrashing tentacle. He heard it make contact, and heard Ternion scream, pulling away. It was successful? Well, first time for everything, Robin thought.

"Dude, try not to burn the house down," he heard Beast Boy call.

So, maybe it just grazed the monster. Close enough. At least now, they could take the fight to Ternion.

Raven launched the grappling hook, and was glad it hooked onto the edge of the broken window. With a tug to make sure it was secure, she let herself swing out the window. Her hands fiddled about on the belt, trying to find the smoke-bombs to distract Ternion, but trying to manage that and keeping her grip on the rope at the same time made it near impossible.

Instead, her hands reached the birdarangs first. Better than nothing, she thought, throwing them at her target. Her timing was a bit off, and the birdarangs exploded way too early. All she succeeded in doing was annoying the beast. Still, it provided enough of a distraction for Beast Boy and Archangel to make their move.

Archangel crawled out of the broken window and won the tower in the form of some sort of alien arachnid. He never realized how much concentration and precision Beast Boy had to maintain to keep these forms. It already took a lot out of him to make this creature, and now he had to switch forms. He opted for the dikrarn. It would be big enough to go up against something the size of Ternion.

He ran headlong into it, hoping to at least knock it off balance. What he did not expect was the gooey sludge that made up most of Ternion's core. The horns on his head sunk deep into them, and he gagged a little as the stench hit him full force. Ternion roared, wrapping a hand around him and giving him a good electrical shock. Wobbling on his feet, he fell over, smoke wafting from his burnt skin.

Beast Boy's nerves and overall anxiousness were doing nothing for using Starfire's powers. Think happy thoughts, he had to keep telling himself. The joys of reading his favorite comic books at least gave him liftoff. Now, he was trying to find enough confidence to use her starbolts. He kept trying to remember the things that Starfire kept telling him to get him in the right mindset. He was Beast boy. He could do anything, be anything. He had all the animals of the universe at his fingertips. He was unstoppable.

That was enough to light a small spark, but just seeing that gave him enough confidence to let it grow to the size of a typical starbolt. Smirking, he hurled it at Ternion. The blast hit its shoulder and burst, but nothing more. Cinderblock's armor was more than just stone. It had been recast many times and eventually became hard enough to deflect starbolts. He had to hit the part of Ternion that was Plasmus or overpower the parts that were Overload. He readied another starbolt.

It was hard for Cyborg to concentrate with all the explosions and sounds outside, and the occasional rattle of the building with each hit. "Okay, so pick the option to turn on the scanner, but don't hit scan just yet," he said while his hands shook holding the tablet.

This had worked better. Being able to see his own screens again through the link suddenly made it all come back to him. Starfire was finding it easier as well. She was getting used to some of how some of his systems worked, and began to understand how everything was organized and in sync. Had she been familiar with the term "well-oiled machine," she would have used it to describe this situation.

"Great," he continued, "now just…"

The wall burst open as one of Ternion's arms thrashed through the building. Starfire screamed, but almost immediately reacted by turning her arm into the sonic cannon and blasting it away. The arm recoiled upon contact and went back to dealing with the threat on the outside.

"Nice shootin'," Cyborg said, still in disbelief.

"Thank you, but your body reacted to my thought patterns flawlessly. I did not…"

He grinned. "It means you're starting to get used to it and integrate with the systems. Here, let me fix the wall, for now anyway."

Channeling all of his focus and calm, he willed the rubble to reassemble into a makeshift wall, giving them somewhat of a barrier from the threat. "Close enough," he said.

"Raven would be proud," Starfire said, nodding her head.

Cyborg quickly became all business once more. "Okay, now we're ready to scan."

"Dudes! This isn't working," Beast Boy said, catching his breath after their last round of attacks.

"Did we expect it to?" Raven said, being the only rational voice. "We've only been learning how to use these powers for one day. Our plan was to keep it away from Cyborg and Starfire."

"Yeah, and look where that got us," Beast Boy said, gesturing over to the crumbling wall of the tower.

"They're both okay, so that's about as close as it's going to get," Robin said, breaking up the impending argument. "But Beast Boy's right. We've got to do more than just tick it off. Raven, in my utility belt there's a large detonator. It's strong enough to incapacitate Ternion. You just have to get it on him. We'll cover you."

She nodded and ran, trying to position herself for a good place behind Ternion. Robin and Beast Boy, meanwhile, let lose a barrage of flames and starbolts to grab the monster's attention. These blasts did very little damage, but it was enough to make Ternion go after them and not pay attention to Raven's position.

Still, one problem remained: Ternion's limbs and gooey appendages still flailed about wildly, causing destruction to anything nearby. They had to keep it from bringing the whole tower down. At the same time, a mere touch from these limbs could result in an electrical shock from Overload's contribution to the three-villain monstrosity. Still, they knew that Ternion would only shock on command, meaning if someone attacked it while his aim was on someone else, they had a small chance of having an effect.

Archangel rammed him from the sides in his dikrarn form, knocking Ternion off his feet. It landed with a thud, but was already scrambling to get up. That was when Raven seized her chance. She leapt upon Ternion and planted the detonator, only to realize…

"Robin, how do I set this thing off?" Raven called, eyes wide at the realization.

Ternion grunted and pulled her off of its back, ready to strike when a loud boom rattled his back, breaking it to pieces. Like a dismantled machine, it collapsed in a heap, Raven crawling out of its grasp. She looked over to see Starfire and Cyborg outside with them. "That is how you do the 'sonic boom,' yes?" she said, looking to Cyborg for guidance.

"Something like that," Cyborg said. "Okay, let's get this guy off to jail and get back in our bodies. I think we finally got it figured out."

XxX

"I still haven't figured out who reactivated Puppet King," Cyborg said, reveling in the ability to continue his usual scans and analyses from his own eyes once more, "but it looks like whatever voodoo magic that he used on us the first time gave him life again."

He had long since given up on getting any more clues out of the lifeless doll, and set about to the task of repairing the tower. Raven flipped the wooden figure over in her hands, feeling the natural hum of having her own magical abilities back. "In layman's terms, yes, that is what happened. My guess: some small-time crook did it on behalf of someone bigger."

"Three ways to Sunday, it was probably Slade," Beast Boy said, laying flopped on the couch, content to go back to his lazy routine now that things had resumed to normal. "Why else would Ternion have attacked?"

Robin came back from checking the mail, now taking extra precautionary measures. "But it was all too easy, wasn't it? I mean, yeah, I wouldn't put it past Slade to have done this, but even with our powers mixed up, Ternion wasn't much of a threat. What kind of game is he playing?"

"With Blackfire as his apprentice, who knows what he's up to anymore," Cyborg said.

Starfire flinched at that. Beast Boy read that cue. "Oh, hey, Star," he said, scooting closer to her. "So, while I was in your body and stuff, I had Cyborg help me translate Tamaranean cookbooks. I found this one." He pulled out one of Starfire's books from her room, flipping to the right page. "Anyway," he continued, "this looks vegetarian…ish, and I thought maybe we could make it together."

Starfire gasped and her eyes started to water. Beast Boy recoiled. "Oh, god, Star, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, Beast Boy," Starfire said, "it is that…I remember this one. It was one of my favorites. On…on the anniversary of my birth one year, my father woke me up early and we snuck into the palace kitchens to make this." She paused for a long while. "That was the last time we celebrated any anniversaries of birth before the Gordanians attacked."

Beast Boy shifted nervously, his thumbs fidgeting. "So, is that why you like to cook? It reminds you of those last few happy times?"

She nodded. "I never thought about it like that, but yes."

She gave him a small smile and he returned the gesture. Robin was meanwhile flipping through the mail, pausing when he saw a familiar address. Raven sensed his conflicting emotions. "It's from him, isn't it?" she asked.

Robin said nothing, and only let her take a glimpse at the Gotham address. It was probably not even a real place. Probably some abandoned building to avoid prying eyes, but he knew it was from him.

Raven looked to him. "Look, I'm not going to say it's ever going to feel normal for you, but maybe one day it'll fell less awkward."

While that did seem like minimal consolation, that did make him feel better. "Thanks," he murmured sincerely.

Cyborg let out a sigh. Any job was all about having the right tools, and right now, the one he was using to repair the tower was not the right one. "Wrong sized socket," he muttered, scratching his head.

He remembered his calm place: everything connected and all in sync. Since getting back into his own body, he had been feeling that a lot. That was keeping him in good spirits as he worked through the wreckage. He felt someone tap his shoulder. "I believe this one is the right size," Starfire said, holding out a wrench.

"Thanks, Star," he said, wiping his brow.

She stood there silently for a moment. "May I be of assistance?" she said at last.

"Sure, you're pretty good at following directions. So, start by holding this up for me. Now, watch how I…"

XxX

The doors to Slade's room burst open. "Slade!" Blackfire roared. Her eyes were aglow, and she looked ready to kill.

"Ah, Blackfire," he greeted in a raspy voice. "I knew you couldn't stay away. Things as a big bad solo villain not working out?"

She gritted her teeth, saving her choice words for later. "Actually, I'm here because of your recent involvement with the Titans."

She could sense the smile curling behind his mask. "Oh, you liked that did you? Well, it wasn't my most impressive work but - "

"I should shoot you right now," she said, grabbing him by the throat and pressing her amplifier to his forehead. "I will be the one getting revenge on my sister, and I'm not about to let you take that from me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't you? I'll chalk up your first failure to kill me to sloppy form, but what's stopping you now? You want me dead, then kill me."

The amplifier revved to life as Blackfire readied a starbolt. Slade only laughed. "The thing is, you won't because part of you knows that you still need me. You are nowhere near ready to face your sister on your own. There's still much you could've learned from me."

She pulled the weapon off of him, letting her powers diffuse. "I don't need to waste my efforts on the likes of you. At least your efforts failed, but I will not let you get in my way again."

"Oh, my efforts didn't fail," Slade said, leaning back comfortably. "That little exercised only succeeded in what I wanted to do. It made them stronger as a team, something you're going to fail at being able to handle. Enjoy that."


	14. Episode 14: Memories

**Episode 14: Memories**

 **Introduction and Disclaimer:** _So, this is it, the moment you've all been waiting for. Welcome to the concluding chapter of So Coal Black Grew the Elder One! I can't tell you how excited I am to be here at this moment. And what better way to kick it off than by saying we've hit over 11k hits on this story. Here's to many more. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to favorite, follow, and of course review this work. Your words have been appreciated and have helped to keep me motivated to keep writing this monster of a story. With that said, let's begin._

 **Trigger Warning:** _Mentions of sexual assault and abuse will be mentioned in this story. Details will be left out to keep it within an M rating, but all trigger warnings for this kind of material apply._

* * *

 **Jump City, 1 Year Ago**

"So…uh, what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked, looking to his new friends.

The sun had risen on a new day, and somehow, he and a group of random heroes had saved Jump City from total annihilation by an army of reptilian aliens. If it was not for his experiences with the Doom Patrol, he would not have been able to conceive of such a scenario.

The tall, metallic guy, Cyborg, Beast Boy liked to call him, looked around. "Well, space-girl needs a place to crash, what about the rest of y'all?"

The alien, Starfire, as she had just introduced herself, already had a question on her lips. The hooded figure, Raven, Beast Boy remembered, seemed to read her mind. "Crash is just an expression for sleep."

She nodded, still not sure about the explanation. Robin spoke up, answering Cyborg's question. "Just got here last night. Haven't had time to search for a place."

Cyborg looked to Beast Boy. "Uh, you know, no one notices another stray dog in the streets."

Cyborg took a deep breath and let out a small laugh. "Alright, well, I've got space. It's not much, but I think I can fit y'all in. Come on."

The others started to follow him, but Raven shied away. "I've got places…other dimensions I can stay. It's fine."

"C'mon, you're going with us," Cyborg said, sweeping her up with one of his arms.

The whole way there, they made small conversation, though it was mostly Beast Boy bombarding all of them with questions, especially Robin, who he was a huge fan of, as he explicitly stated several dozen times. Still, he had plenty of questions for everyone.

"Okay, so Starfire, are your people mammals, reptiles, or what?"

Raven nudged him. "Don't be rude."

"Hey, I turn into animals. I'm curious."

Starfire did not seem to mind, and always answered candidly. "Mammal, like humans, yes?"

There was still something nagging Beast Boy. "Uh, yeah, but if you're a mammal, where's your belly button?"

Starfire contemplated for a moment. While she had all the vocabulary of the English language thanks to Robin, she still lacked context for a lot of words, or she did not know the Tamaranean equivalent without a visual in front of her. Raven, seemed to understand her hesitation. "He means your navel, where you would've been connected to your mother in the womb."

"Like this," Beast Boy said, raising his shirt.

She nodded in understanding. "So, that is where your…'belly button' is."

"Okay…" Cyborg said, catching on. "So where's yours."

Starfire pulled her hair back so that they could see the skin just below the base of her skull. "Um…that's different," Raven said.

"Are outies normal?" Cyborg asked.

"Cool!" Beast Boy said.

She let her hair fall back into place. "If you mean that my navel is on the outside, no, I am the only member of my family with that."

Beast Boy now had a million more questions to ask Starfire, but was cut short when Cyborg announced that they had reached their destination. It was a tiny mechanic's garage with a half-lit sign. The building was old and the bricks were clearly worn, but the building looked sturdy.

"Used to belong to my grandad," Cyborg said. "When he and my grandma passed on, they left this place to me. Come on up. We'll get y'all settled in. I've got a couple beds and a couch. I figure Starfire and Raven can have the beds and then you two can fight for the couch."

Beast Boy looked to Robin, who only smirked. "Uh…no chance you got a doggy bed?"

Cyborg shook his head. Raven spoke up. "What about you?"

He stopped and sighed. "Ever since this happened…" He gestured to his metal frame. "I have to recharge instead of sleep. I just plug in down in the garage."

He led them to the small apartment upstairs. It was cramped, but cozy, though it looked like it had been a while since Cyborg had done any housekeeping. "Starfire, you can have my old room," he said, opening a door.

She stood and stared into the room, looking hopelessly confused. Again, Earthly words were there, but she had no context for them. "It's a bed," Robin said, starting to figure it out. "You sleep on it."

Starfire examined the bed again, unsure of how humans found them comfortable. But she was determined to make it work. She clambered in and lay with her head hanging over the foot of the bed. It was not a terrific feeling on her back, but it would do, better than how she had been sleeping for the past few weeks. Almost instantly, she fell asleep. "Uh…Star, that's not…" Cyborg tried to say before realizing she was out.

"Must've been tired," Beast Boy suggested.

"You probably would be too if you just escaped from alien slavers within an inch of your life," Raven added in a somber tone.

Given everything they had been through, the last thing anyone wanted to talk about was the situation they had rescued Starfire from. No one wanted to imagine what sort of torture she had been through.

XxX

Though sore from having slept on the floor, Beast Boy was thankful for having a warm place to sleep. He stretched and scratched, hearing his back pop back into place. He was still half-asleep as he trapesed down the hall and opened a door. He fumbled around before he heard a scream. "What are you doing in here?" Raven shouted.

That seemed to wake him up. "Whoa! Geez, sorry. I left my shoes in here. What's the big deal?"

"Have you heard of this thing called privacy?"

She shoved him out the door. Beast Boy was not to be deterred. "You've lived alone a lot, huh?"

"Why does it matter to you?" His out-of-the-blue remark had piqued her curiosity.

He shrugged. "I lived with the Doom Patrol. We were used to this kind of stuff. So…what about you?"

"I lived with the monks of Azar." That was all she wanted to say on the matter, but Beast Boy didn't seem to get the memo.

"They sound…uh, fun, but they left you to yourself?"

Raven turned away, shutting the door behind her. "They raised me," she said, "but they avoided me when they could.

XxX

Starfire bolted up in bed, gasping for breath. Dreams of last night still plagued her. It was over. It was supposed to be over, she thought. Once reality set back in and she remembered where she was, she willed herself to get up. She smelled something cooking and went towards food.

As she came down the stairs, she saw Cyborg standing by some sort of device, whistling away, while some sort of food was cooking on the device. He spotted her. "Mornin', Star!" he greeted. "I was wonderin' when y'all would come down to eat. You seen any of the others?"

She shook her head, following her nose to the smell of something that seemed somewhat familiar. She opened the refrigerator.

"I don't know what kind of stuff your people eat, but I hope you like bacon," he continued. He saw what she had grabbed out of the refrigerator. "Bologna, hm. Well, okay, I can do something with that for you. I make a pretty good fried bologna…" With a loud gulping sound, she had eaten the entire package. "Sandwich," he finished, giving her an odd look.

She eyed the bacon cooking in the skillet hungrily, but Cyborg swatted her away. "No way. You'll give yourself a stomach ache eatin' like that."

This seemed to puzzle her a bit. She was pretty sure she had been polite as can be, but maybe humans fought harder for their food than Tamaraneans. "What's the matter?" Cyborg asked. "You got a stomach, right?"

"I have nine of the stomachs," she answered.

That seemed to surprise him. "Okay…well, that kinda explains it. You…uh, go sit over there and wait a minute."

Starfire looked at the nearby table. At least that structure looked familiar to her. She waited patiently while Cyborg continued to converse with her. "So…nine stomachs, how does that work?"

"One stomach serves as the main organ, processing food upon consumption. The other eight are for storage purposes."

He set a plate before her. She eyed the dish warily as Cyborg had made her eggs and bacon look like a smiley face. Did all humans mimic cannibalism in their meals?

"Yeah, well, not to worry. On this part of Earth, you don't have to worry about storing food for famines and stuff. No need to eat like you're starving. He caught himself when he said that, noticing her downcast look. "Unless that's what those lizard things did to you. Is that it?"

"They did not want me to have the strength to fight back, and so they tried. Last night, I only had enough energy to break out. If not then, I never would have had another chance."

Cyborg mulled it over. No wonder the girl had broken into that movie store to eat the snacks, wrappers and all. She had worn herself down. But then, another thought occurred to him. "Uh, Star, you do know you weren't supposed to eat those red wrappers around the bologna."

Starfire's long, purple tongue deposited a pile of red wrappers from her throat, all cleaned off, and onto the table. Cyborg only stared. "Well, you're just seven different kinds of interesting, aren't you?" he said, trying to hold back his gag reflex.

Around that time, Raven came to join them. "Hey!" Cyborg greeted. "Up for some breakfast? I've got eggs, bacon, waffles if you're interested."

"Gee…it all sound so good," Raven said in a deadpan voice.

"Waffles it is, then."

"Joy."

Starfire was getting up to leave, but winced in pain, clutching her left side. "You okay?" Cyborg asked. "Here, let me look at it."

She glowered at him, a growl beginning to form in her throat. "Hey, none of that. Star, I'm not trying to hurt you. Trust me, okay?"

She relented, flinching slightly when his cold hands touched her. But, he was a friend, she had to tell herself. She cried out when his fingers hit the sore spot. "Ribs," he muttered, "bruised definitely, broken maybe. A doctor could tell us more."

Raven pulled him aside. "Are you out of your mind?" she asked.

"What? She needs help."

"This isn't like taking in a stray puppy. She's from an entirely different world. Her anatomy might be different. Her body may not respond to our medical treatment. And that's not counting exposure to human diseases."

He shrugged. "Well, she does have nine stomachs, so I see your point."

"Exactly. Wait, what?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. So, what do we do?"

Raven looked to her. "Let me handle this one."

She sat back down beside Starfire. "I think I can help, but you have to stay still. I promise I won't hurt you." She held up her hands in a non-threatening pose to emphasize that point. "I won't even touch you."

Starfire let out a sigh and nodded, trying to trust these new friends. Raven's hands glowed a calming blue as they hovered over Starfire's ribcage. She winced briefly when something seemed to pop back into place, but otherwise, it was totally painless. It was an amazing feat to her, and apparently to Cyborg as well.

Beast Boy and Robin came in shortly after, Beast Boy clearly having a one-sided conversation. "We need some kind of cool team name," he said. "Like Justice Kids, or Awesome League, or uh, um…"

"They all sound equally terrible," Raven interrupted.

"Well, I don't see you comin' up with any ideas."

"Please, like it's that hard to come up with stupid hero names. Gee, why not go with something corny like Teen Titans, or something like that?"

Beast Boy's eyes lit up at the thought. "Ooh, that! I like that."

"We are not doing team names," Robin said, ending the conversation. "We're not even an official team."

"Well, we beat up baddies, and we live together now," Cyborg said. "Might as well be a team. Course, there's no way we can all live in this small little place without driving each other nuts. I'm thinkin' we could convert that old alien ship into a bigger house of some kind. I have access to materials from Stone Labs to help upgrade it."

That seemed to perk Robin up. "Really? You think you could do that? I…uh, know some people that can get us some good crime scanning equipment. And if it's funds we need…"

"Easy there. We know you got connections to the Bat. I was thinkin'…"

"Oh, we should build it like a giant T for Teen Titans. That would be so awesome," Beast Boy interrupted.

"No Teen Titans," Robin said.

"And no T-Tower. I'm not doing anything ridiculous like that," Cyborg added.

That whole afternoon, the group had been making plans: trying to decide on this new tower, planning strategies based on their powers, everything. Only Starfire seemed distant throughout. "You okay, Starfire?" Robin asked, sitting beside her.

She sighed. "I have caused a lot of trouble by coming here."

"It's not that bad," he said. "We're going to go help clean up the town, and…"

She shook her head. "It is more than that. I was supposed to be a war prize for peace on my world, and now I have ruined that. I fear aggressions may start on Tamaran once more, and I have no means of communicating with my K'norfka."

Cyborg overheard them. "So you need to phone home?" He laughed at his own joke. "Say no more."

He ran down to the garage and back up in the blink of an eye, carrying an armload of metallic items. "I've been working on different types of communicators with some extra parts. I made something a while ago that can transmit and receive over lightyears of distance. Had no intention of talking to aliens with it, but I guess now it comes in handy. Here, you just set the coordinates to…"

Robin meanwhile went over to Cyborg's police scanner. So, Cyborg liked to serve as guardian of Jump City, Robin thought. He could respect that. He heard a few voices that gave him pause. "Cyborg, who is Cinderblock?"

Cyborg rose up. "Some big thug of a bad guy, or monster, or whatever. Not bad, but causes a lot of trouble. I've only ever been able to tick him off, but never catch him."

"Sounds like a job for the Teen Titans!" Beast Boy shouted, striking a heroic pose. "Titans, away!"

"We're gonna have to put a stop to that," Cyborg mumbled, heading for the door. "Star, I think we got this one. You can stay here and call home if you want."

Starfire nodded. Though she wanted to help her new friends, she also wanted to see that Tamaran was still safe. Following Cyborg's instructions, she thought she had a transmission out to Tamaran. "Hello!" she called out. "Galfore! Blackfire!"

At first, all she heard was static, but then Galfore's gruff voice came through. "Princess, is that really you?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Galfore, yes, it is I. I…I am sorry. Something happened. I could not do it. I left. I am ashamed of my cowardice."

"Princess, there is nothing to apologize for. I could not bear to imagine you in that horrible place. What they would have done to you in the Citadel…I am just glad you are safe."

She wanted to tell him then. She wanted to tell someone, anyone, but could not bring herself to do it. "Has my absence resumed the war?" she asked instead.

"Briefly, but our troops have been able to fight them off. They are retreating."

She let out a sigh of relief. "That is joyous news to hear. And how are my parents?"

Galfore became gravely silent then. But, at last, he spoke in a near-whisper. "Koriand'r, I am sorry. They…they have passed."

Everything after that was a blur. True, she heard snippets of things, such as that they had passed shortly after she left, that Blackfire, in her grief, had left Tamaran. Galfore hoped that Starfire could send a transmission to her and talk some sense into her. But through it all, she heard nothing but muffled speech. Her parents were dead, and she had not been there for them.

The rest of the group had started to return. "We'll get him next time," Beast Boy said, pretty proud of himself. "At least we stopped him from hurting anyone."

"I suppose," Cyborg grumbled. "Still, that was pretty cool, that thing that Robin and I did when my cannon blasted your disc. It was almost like a sonic boom."

They all halted when they arrived to find Starfire slumped over, sobbing. "Starfire…" Beast Boy said, approaching her.

She threw her arms around his neck and wept. "They're gone," she sobbed.

Beast Boy knelt, still cradling her in his arms as she cried, not sure what else to do.

* * *

 **Jump City, Present**

Starfire bolted up in bed, stopping herself as a small scream tried to escape from her lips. She had gotten used to this routine by now. The nightmares were coming back, even more frequently now. As she took deep breaths to let her heart rate slow down, she got up, knowing she was not going to be getting anymore sleep.

She knew the reason, and all she wanted was for this day to be over. She just had to forget, had to move on, had to do something. Pacing the floor because she knew of nothing else to do right now, she waited until the first light of morning. Just had to get through today, she thought.

So lost in her own thoughts as she left her room, Starfire did not hear Archangel come up from behind her. "Hey, Starfire," he said, tapping her shoulder.

Starfire whipped around, startled, and gave Archangel a powerful kick backed by her full Tamaranean strength. He crumpled into a heap and was slammed against the wall, groaning in pain. She quickly snapped out of it. "Oh, Archie, a thousand apologies. Are you injured? Should I – "

"Just get some ice," Archangel said through gritted teeth.

Starfire helped him up. "I am deeply remorseful. I was not aware of my surroundings."

"It is okay. Let's just go sit down."

Cyborg and Raven walked into the common room to the unusual sight of Archangel icing a good many injuries. "I guess I have learned never to sneak up from behind you," he said to Starfire in a weak laugh.

"Trouble in paradise?" Cyborg interrupted.

"What?" Archangel and Starfire said in unison.

Cyborg realized his mistake. "Um…what are you talking about?"

Starfire answered. "I…injured Archie by accident. I was…thinking, and I did not notice him, and he caught me by surprise."

Archangel raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What were you referring to?" he asked Cyborg.

He smiled sheepishly. "Uh…same thing. Anyway, time to get started on my world-famous waffles."

Raven sat down on the couch to begin healing Archangel's wounds. "Gee, waffles again. What's the excuse…uh, I mean, occasion this time?"

"Oh, come on, Raven," you couldn't have possibly forgotten. One year ago today, we all became a team." He looked at Archangel. "Oh…uh, I mean…"

He shrugged. "I understand."

Starfire let out a small gasp, which caught Raven's attention. For a year now, Raven had always known something was up.

At first, when they all started living together, it took a while for Raven to get used to the influx of new feelings she was empathically reading from her new friends. It was like having twenty different TVs going on all at once. Eventually, the dust cleared and she was able to recognize the common emotional patterns of her friends.

However, what concerned her the most was the strong negative emotions that came off of Starfire, the strongest being fear. At first, she was willing to attribute it to her being worried her former captors would return. But after several weeks, and Raven realizing that the intensity of Starfire's fear was stronger than any lingering worry, Raven knew it was something else.

At one time, Raven had come close to understanding this fear. No one ever noticed when she did a little emotional probing. But then, they had gone through that whole incident with the Puppet King and they had switched bodies. From then on, Starfire knew how Raven's powers worked and it was like a brick wall went up ever since. Starfire quickly figured out the mental blocks needed to avoid Raven. That worried her. What secret needed to be so well-hidden?  
"So, I was thinkin', so long as there's no bad guy butt to kick, it'd be a perfect day to go to the park," Cyborg said, bringing Raven back to reality.

The Titan alarm began blaring, cancelling any hope of that. "Looks like it'll have to wait," Robin said. "Unidentified aircraft downtown."

The T-car came to a screeching halt as they neared the large aircraft which had crushed nearly two blocks of the city. Starfire had gone rigid, recognizing its architecture.

"Okay, Titans, fan out and – "

"Oh, Robin, your little plans are so adorable, and so predictable," a voice said.

Blackfire leaned casually against what used to be the bank steps. She looked annoyed, as though she had grown bored waiting on them.

"And what sort of errand has Slade got you running now?" Robin asked, his eyes darting to every rooftop.

She laughed. "Oh, that's right: you don't know. Slade and I have outgrown each other. I have some new tools and new friends who are much more useful than him."

An army of Gordanians came marching up behind her, slimy, scaled killers, all primed and armed to kill. Blackfire smirked. "What's the matter, sister dear? You haven't said a word. Afraid of a few Gordanians?"

Starfire tried to will herself to say something, anything. But her voice would not come. She could only muster a small squeak.

"Shocking, I know," Blackfire continued. "But see, they'll listen to me because I have something they want: you. That, and this new amplifier Slade so willingly and stupidly made for me."

She let the device on her arm turn on, aimed it at a pile of rubble, and vaporized it with a starbolt. "It ups my powers ten-fold, more than any stupid gem. Now everyone fears me, and I'd like to see you try to even go against this. But, you know, I think my friends here can take care of you."

She disappeared into the crowd of Gordanians as their electrified spears turned on. Robin put a hand on Starfire's shoulder. "Star…"

Whatever fear had paralyzed her minutes before now melted into a burning anger. Her eyes lit with a fury on another level. With a raging battle cry, she sprang into action.

She tore through Gordanians left and right. At first, they were taken by surprise and it was almost too easy. They were immediately bowled over, and some even cowered away. But once the initial shock wore off, for every one she beat down, a dozen others came after her. All the same, she fought with such tenacity, she seemed unstoppable.

The rest of the Titans eventually snapped out of it, and went to her rescue. Though their scaly skin was resilient to fire, they still retreated as a sudden blast of flames from Archangel struck them. Sword ignited, he was able to do more damage as he tried to hack and slice an opening to reach Starfire.

Raven was quick on the defensive and started throwing up shields to block the oncoming squads of aliens. She was able to get a few hits in with some levitating debris, but only a few. There were just so many of them. This was not like the last time they faced the Gordanians. This was not just some small squadron. Blackfire had come with a whole army. They had fought numbers bigger than them before, but an entire army? Raven threw another hunk of building at a pair of Gordanians who had started coming for her. One enemy at a time, she thought.

Cyborg was able to do more significant damage. With his entire arsenal of weapons and the wide range of his sonic cannon, he stood more of a chance. He cleared a path to get to Starfire and offer her some aid. But he was pretty aware of the situation. "There's too many of them, Star," he said, blasting a rogue soldier away. "We need to fall back. Robin would want us to come up with a better plan."

She did not respond, but rather roared as she threw herself at more soldiers, blasting starbolts haphazardly. "Or not," Cyborg sighed. He went back into the fray to keep her covered. At the rate she was going, she would get herself hurt soon.

While Robin would have done anything for Starfire in this situation, he was not going to be irrational about it. They were seriously outnumbered, and he did not have nearly enough to fight back with. They needed to regroup. Still, they were too deep into the fight, and there was no getting Starfire down from her current level of ferocity. He knew she had a chip on her shoulder about them, but he had never seen her like this.

Robin did his best to try and get some of the Gordanians' attention off of her. He threw everything he had at them to get them wanting to come after him. It was no use. They had their orders from Blackfire. "Anything?" Archangle asked, having caught up to Robin.

"No," he said, getting more and more frustrated by the minute. "But maybe we just haven't created a big enough distraction. Help me set off an explosion near their ship."

Archangel nodded, following him.

Beast Boy was more than just overwhelmed by all the chaos. He made himself into bigger and bigger creatures to try and fight off multiple attackers, but they were determined, and there were many of them. He could not seem to make any headway. At last, he realized it was pointless to try and fight them all off. He turned into a mouse and scurried between their feet to try and reach his friends. "So, what now?" he asked as he finally reached Archangel and Robin.

"Try to find the others and make sure they're out of the way," Robin answered. "We're about to make a pretty big distraction."

"Can do," Beast Boy said, but then halted. "Um, what about Star?"

"Just do your best," Robin said. "We need this opportunity to rethink our plans."

Archangel nodded. "Do what you can."

Beast Boy grimaced, but ran off to do his job. Raven and Cyborg easily backed off, exhausted and beaten from the fight. He tried to follow the sounds of Starfire's shouts to locate her, but easily got swamped in the army of soldiers. Eventually, he found his path, and just in time. Starfire had pinned a Gordanian soldier down and looked ready to rip his head off.

"Star, wait!" Beast Boy called, running in to stop her. Bad guys these may be, but killing was not something he could let her do.

He reached for her to get her to snap out of it, but she wheeled on him, eyes glowing, and struck him with the full-powered starbolt meant for her adversary. The others heard his pained scream, a scream so chilling it made all their blood run cold. She seemed to hold onto him, hitting him with all she had, not realizing that he was not the enemy. "Starfire, stop!" Robin yelled, pulling her off of Beast Boy.

Slowly, she seemed to come back, a horror-stricken look on her face. She saw Archangel holding Beast Boy as his burned chest seared and he moaned in pain. And through it all, she could see the fear in her friends' eyes as they saw what she had done. Robin dragged her to her feet. "We have to get out of here," he said.

XxX

Cyborg came back from the medbay, a grim look on his face. "So, how is he?" Robin asked.

"Alive, but barely. Star burned him up pretty good. I don't think the skin's gonna fully heal. Any word on Blackfire or the Gordanians?"

He shook his head. "No, they pretty much just let us leave, and they haven't done anything else except wait on their ship. They're just toying with us."

Cyborg sighed. "And Star?"

Archangel came from down the hall. "No word. She is still holed up in her room. We've tried everything."

Cyborg knew of only one other way. Over the past year, he had learned that the way to Starfire was through her stomach…er stomachs, he reminded himself. She could usually open up under the prospect of good food.

He tapped at her door. "Star, I thought I'd bring you some lunch. You know, probably hungry after all that. It's your favorite: bologna, peanut butter, and olives. I even got the bread the way you like: a little black on the edges."

The door cracked open, and he could see one bloodshot, teary, green eye looking back at him. "Thank you," was all she said.

While he knew she would not be that mean, he slid his foot into the crack of the door, just in case. "Look, Star, something's clearly going on, and we really need to talk about it. It doesn't have to be me. It can be whoever, but you need to talk. You can't keep whatever this is bottled up anymore."

She would not meet his gaze. "How is Beast Boy?"

"He'll be okay. It'll take a while, but he'll be okay."

Cyborg was not going to budge. He waited for Starfire's answer. She yielded. "I will talk with you and Raven," she said at last.

He smiled. "I'll go get her."

Raven and Cyborg sat on the edge of Starfire's bed as she paced nervously across the floor. She was doing everything she could to stall for time. At last, she had to speak. "You know that my sister traded me to the Gordanians for peace. I accepted their terms and went to be their war prize. They did not treat me well."

"They starved you," Cyborg said.

"They beat you," Raven added.

Cyborg's eyebrow raised. While, true, he would have expected as much, he had not heard that part of the story. Starfire would not meet their eyes. "When Starfire and I switched bodies, I could feel the scars. I sort of put of it together after that," Raven explained.

Starfire looked to them, knowing there was no point in keeping that secret. She sat down and pulled up the back of her top, letting Cyborg and Raven see where the flesh had warped and bumped after healing. "Oh, god, Star…" Cyborg said breathlessly. He had seen pictures of this kind of stuff, in history books about slaves, but in real life…words could not compare.

His fingers lightly brushed the biggest of the scars as he went to wrap her in a hug. She remembered getting that scar vividly. She wanted to die after it happened.

"But, that's not why you were so upset today, is it?" Raven said. "Not all of it. I know about the nightmares."

She was surprised by this. "How?"

"Your room's right above mine. I hear you when you get up, and I can sense the fear afterwards. But, I'm right though. That isn't the only reason."

Her silence confirmed Raven's thought. "Starfire, I'm going to ask you something. Just, yes or no, okay? You went willingly to be a prize for the Gordanians. Something happened that night, didn't it? Something changed your mind. Starfire, did…did they do…something to you?"

Raven could not even bring herself to say what she thought it was. Starfire broke down completely, giving Raven her answer. She sobbed into Cyborg's chest as he did his best to comfort her. He looked worriedly to Raven, silently asking what else could he do. There was no good answer to that question, she knew.

Maybe it was Starfire's distraught state. Maybe it was her own distress at seeing a friend so in pain. Raven could not even begin to describe what she was feeling. She reached out to touch Starfire, give her a comforting hand. Raven did not think about how the emotional distress was affecting her powers, and before she knew it, she had entered Starfire's mind.

Raven woke up on a cold, dirty floor, darkness surrounding her. As she moved, she cried out as flayed skin cracked, and that was when it dawned on her that she was in Starfire's memories.

She tried to sit up, but the shackles binding her wrists made that a challenge. Pain wracked every inch of her body. Starfire's mind told her it had been nearly a month since she left Tamaran on this ship, meaning every day since then, she had experienced this torture.

Raven could hear voices outside the door, gurgling, hissing, gruff voices. "Lord Trogar explicitly instructed us not to. Torture is one thing, but we cannot do anything else. She belongs to the Citadel."

"It wouldn't' matter. She'd better get used to it anyway. What's wrong with having a little fun beforehand?"

Raven gulped. She had a feeling she knew what would happen. Instinctively, she crawled back to the farthest corner of the cell and tried to make herself smaller. The door opened.

"You scared of me, troq?" the guard hissed. "Still mad about that last little cut?"

Raven knew that it was far beyond little as she felt skin peel on her back. The Gordanian snorted. "Almost to the Citadel, troq. You know what they plan to do with you?"

Starfire's memories of the tales she had heard Rulore tell her mother in private painted a grim picture in Raven's head. Still, she remained silent.

"Well, I say you might as well get some practice in for it before you get there."

She tried to bolt, but he scooped her up and pinned her to the ground so fast, she was not sure what had happened. She tried to scream, but he pressed his elbow into her chest, keeping her from breathing enough to call out. His strength was such that she felt something snap in her ribs as he pressed down on her. "And just where did you think you could go?" he asked, his slimy grin getting wider.

And then, it was as if a movie had skipped a scene. The Gordanian guard had finished with her and finally got off of her. Still, Raven could feel every bit of Starfire's physical and psychological pain in that moment. It was not hard to figure out what had happened in the missing gap of time. She had been in the minds of trauma victims before. Their memories would often block out the memory in some way.

She could hear the guard laughing as he stood. "You did well, troq. I think you might actually get used to this."

It was the thought of knowing that this could become a regular occurrence for her that finally set Starfire off. Deal or no deal, she was not going to endure it again. When the guard turned to leave, she struck him with her cuffs, and proceeded to pound his head until it was little more than an unrecognizable pulp. She knew what this meant. Killing a guard was not going to go unnoticed. She would have to escape.

Starfire then let out a primal scream, angry and sad all at the same time, and proceeded to pound the cell door. They only thought it would be strong enough to keep in a Tamaranean. "Will the door hold?" she heard a nervous guard outside ask.

Raven breathed in deeply as she was finally thrown from Starfire's mind. Cyborg and Starfire stared worriedly at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Raven gasped. "I just…I don't know how…"

"I do not blame you," Starfire said. "You saw…everything?"

"Enough of it," Raven answered. "Look, this has probably been a lot for you today. You opened up and told us. That's big, but maybe you should rest a bit. I know this spell for dreamless sleep. It'll help, but only for today. Some people become dependent on the spell."

Starfire agreed, and Cyborg and Raven left her to rest. "You're not going to use that spell for just one night, are you?" Cyborg said.

"Probably for the first couple of weeks," Raven answered. "It's a lot to process, and reliving the trauma is sometimes as bad as the actual event."

Cyborg placed a hand on her back. "Speaking of, you gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, a little meditation and reminding myself that it was only her memories, and I'll be fine."

The two were quiet for the longest time, neither wanting to talk about what happened, but knowing that they needed to. "So, what do we do for her?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, I feel like there should've been something that I could've said, or some way I should have comforted her."

Raven shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. There's nothing we can say or do to make it better. It happened, and the best we can do is be supportive of her as she tries to heal, if she does."

"But, there has to be something." Cyborg was a man of action. He could not stand to sit idly by.

"Listening today was the best thing we could've done. Look, I have a friend at the café. She's been through some similar stuff. She runs a support group. I can suggest it to Starfire."

Cyborg was still having trouble comprehending. "She didn't tell us for a whole year."

"It's not like she didn't trust us," Raven said, voicing his fear. "Nor is it that she blames herself. She knows something like that isn't her fault. I think it's the politics of the situation. She feels like a coward for having abandoned that arrangement. It makes her feel weak. I don't think there's much we can do to help her there. I think that's going to be more of a Galfore thing when she's ready."

A few hours later, Starfire dared to venture out to the common room. She really wanted to speak to Beast Boy, to apologize, but Raven told her he was sleeping at the moment. She thought that talking with Cyborg and Raven would have helped. It did, a little, but she knew she would never feel easy with the situation. For now, telling them was enough. She knew she would have to talk with others eventually, just not today.

The common room was quiet, probably because Beast Boy was not there chatting up a storm. She felt horrible for that. Cyborg and Robin were quietly discussing something on the screen, while Archangel, who had lost interest in the matter several minutes ago, was snoozing on the couch. Cyborg and Robin heard her come in. "Rested?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes, and thank you, Cyborg. I am lucky to have friends like you."

Robin only gave them an inquisitive stare. Cyborg must have been kind enough to not say anything. Robin would be the hardest to talk to about all of this. He would want revenge.

Cyborg smiled and nodded. "I'd say the feeling's mutual. Listen, Star, if you're up for it, there's something up with these readouts I got on the space ship. My sensors got a quick glance in before Robin and Archangel were supposed to set off their bomb."

Starfire felt bad for that too. Her outburst had disrupted any plans they did have.

He zoomed out of the map so that Starfire could see the full layout of the ship. She could see all the rooms and halls of the ship in schematic form. A few green dots moved about, and she assumed there was that was the Gordanians.

"Anyway, it looks like they may have a prisoner on board." Cyborg zoomed into one particular room which held two green dots and an orange dot.

"This is not one of their slave ships," Starfire said. "It is a small war vessel. That is the power room. Are you certain that is not Blackfire?"

Robin shook his head. "We checked that. According to this recording, she went to the main deck when she left the battlefield."

"Maybe this wasn't someone they were planning on picking up. But, Star, the readout does say that whoever this is…" He pointed to the orange dot. "They're Tamaranean."

"So, how do we want to do this?" Robin asked. "I think the only reason they have whoever it is, is because they know something. That means our top priority should be to get them out. But how?"

"I could do it," they heard Beast Boy wheeze across the room.

He stood on shaky feet, clutching his bandaging.

"No, what you need to be doing' is resting," Cyborg said. "How did you even get here?"

Raven hovered in. "He got up when I went to get him some water and left. Beast Boy, you're in no condition to…"

"You need someone who can get past all those guards. I can do that. Last time I checked, could any of you shrink down to the size of a germ?"

Cyborg tried to calm him down. "Okay, okay, I get it. But, B, you can barely even stand. Look, we can come up with something else."

"I can help," he protested. "I've had worse done to me. It's just a burn. I'm not gonna take no for an answer."

He looked to each of them, and the could tell by his determined look that he was not going to budge on the issue. Cyborg let out a small groan. "Fine, but you're taking one of my mini-cameras. The first sign of danger we see, and we're telling you to get outta there."

That answer seemed to satisfy all parties well enough, and Beast Boy was sent out into the field. He was a little slower than usual, due to his injury, but he took his time, trying not to worry his teammates. He got near the ship without too much trouble. As Robin had predicted, they were not there to cause any other kind of destruction. They were waiting for the Titans.

"Alright, I'm going in," he whispered into the microphone.

"And I've got a camera feed going. You're all clear," Cyborg said. "Just be careful."

"You got it!"

Robin spoke up. "Beast Boy, do you even have a plan for when you find this person? You do know they can't turn into animals, right?"

"Cyborg's got me covered. I've got some kinda laser beam to cut through the ship's walls."

"Just remember, that's not a toy. Get in, get them, and get out."

He remained silent and transformed into a cockroach. Skittering this way and that, Beast Boy entered the Gordanian ship. It was not all that different as the first time he had been on one. Though there were more guards patrolling around and Starfire had warned him that this was typical on a warship.

He heard Cyborg's voice in his ear. "Okay, now take a left and follow the stairs. There should be a door at the bottom. Slide through that, and you'll at least be on the right level."

He made his way through the door, turning this way and that to make sure his friends had a good view of the area. "Okay, third door to the right," Cyborg said.

Beast Boy followed the path, and went through the door. When he was certain that the coast was clear, he transformed. Back. The Tamaranean boy in the room, chained to a boiler, backed away at his sudden appearance. "Um, so, this looks like just a kid," he said. "But, I'm guessing he doesn't understand English."

He held out a watch attached to his arm, and Starfire spoke through it in Tamaranean. At first, the boy did not answer, but after she repeated the phrase, he spoke slowly and methodically. After several minutes, she spoke to Beast Boy. "He at least understands that you mean him no harm," she said, "though his fluency in Tamaranean is at the level of someone who is perhaps four to five years of age. He looks to be maybe ten or eleven."

"We can solve that later. Main thing now is to get out, preferably without being seen," Robin said.

"Um, hello! I've got a laser saw here. Not like that's subtle."

He heard Robin sigh on the other end. "Just try not to get yourself nearly killed again."

Cyborg butted in. "The back wall in front of you should lead to another power room, and no guards. After that, it's a straight shot out to the street."

Beast Boy shrugged, and pushed a button on the watch. How come Cyborg got all the cool gadgets? Within a few seconds, the laser beam had cut through the back wall like butter. He grabbed the boy's hand. "Come on," he said, realizing it was a foolish idea to speak since he could not understand him.

Back at the Tower, the team was trying to figure out the secret of their mysterious guest. Starfire at least gave him the ability to speak English.

"I really do not know a great deal of information. I was taken from my guardian family, and placed on that ship. I do not know why they would want me," he said.

"Guardian family?" Robin asked.

The boy nodded. "They call themselves the Omegamen. They help protect the Vega System. They took me in when I was small. I imagine they are searching for me now."

"So, how is it that they took you in?" Raven asked. "What happened to your family before that?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't remember. The Omegamen said there was an explosion around a nearby planet, and they just…found me. I don't remember anything else."

"An explosion?" Starfire said. "Do you remember where?"

He shrugged. "I think they said somewhere near the planet Rann. I do not know for sure."

Starfire felt stupid for not having seen it before. The resemblance, the story, it all seemed to fit. This had to be Ryand'r, her brother. "Oh, dear brother," she said, wrapping him in a hug. "How I have missed you. You are still alive! You must tell me everything."

The boy's expression became confused. "Brother? I think you must have me mistaken for someone else."

She shook her head. "Oh, but I am most certain I am not. You are Wildfire, my brother. When the Gordanians attacked Tamaran, our parents sent you with a refugee mission to save you. It was blown up by Gordanian warships. We thought you were lost, like all the others. That was the explosion. I'm so glad to have you back."

He was still puzzled, and could find no words to respond. He did not want to hurt her feelings. Raven intervened. "Starfire, he doesn't remember. Much like you, that memory may be suppressed. He was young at the time, and so, he might never be able to recall it."

"I guess I had not thought of that," the boy said. "I suppose your story could be true, and I just do not remember it."

Starfire wilted, feeling hurt. She could not be mad or upset at him if he could not remember, but what was she to do? How could she reconnect with her brother if he did not even know who she was?

Wildfire nodded. "I am willing to accept this possibility and though I do not know you, Starfire, I would like to."

She smiled. "I would like that very much."

The team let Wildfire get settled into the tower, while they meanwhile discussed their plans. "So, what now?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg and Robin were still mulling over maps and diagrams. "They're waiting for us, so we're going to have to bring the fight to them," Robin concluded. "There's just no way around it. But we'll have to come better prepared."

"Maybe if we can get the Gordanians to turn on Blackfire, then we'd have a chance."

"Is that even possible?" Raven asked.

Starfire still remained thoughtful and quiet, but this last statement gave her reason to speak. "I do not know why she would ally with them. She has used unusual alliances before, but never our own enemies."

"It is because she has allied with them before," Archangel said as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Everyone turned to him, surprised by this news. "How…how could she?" Starfire said.

Archangel sighed, not quite ready to admit to everything, but seeing no other option. "It is true that my people, in our anger at our disbanded alliance with you, did give away military secrets to the Gordanians. But we only knew of your offensive strategy. We did not know enough about your defenses to tell them that, yet they broke through them easily. It was revealed after the aggressions ended that your sister gave away those defensive secrets in exchange for sparing her own life, and being named ruling regent after their conquest."

Something seemed to snap for Starfire. Everything was unraveling before her. "That…that cannot be. Blackfire may have had troubles, but she would never have turned on us like that. Would she? How could I have not known? How could anyone not have known? Someone should have."

Archangel shrugged. "Maybe someone would have. Your father, maybe?"

Starfire shook her head. "Maybe, but then he became…ill." Her mind started working a mile a minute. "The illness…she…she did it."

"What?" everyone said.

It all seemed to make sense now. "I remember now. Those symptoms…it was a prulom."

Archangel's eyes widened. "You are certain?"

"Yes, when Beast Boy became ill, I remembered those symptoms, I just could not think of where. But now, I cannot believe it. Blackfire betrayed us. She murdered our parents."

Archangel tired to calm her. "Let us not jump to conclusions. There may be another explanation for all of this."

She shook her head. "No, of this I am certain. She came to Naraka. She had access to that knowledge. No one else could have gotten that close to my parents to harm them."

An anger bubbled up from within her. She was ready to kill. She began marching back to her room, to prepare for her upcoming battle. Archangel quickly followed behind. "Starfire, I know what you are thinking of doing, but you cannot, please."

She wheeled on him, throwing a glowing punch towards his head. He caught it, glad that she let the starbolt diffuse, fearful she would hurt him like she hurt Beast Boy earlier. He still held her fist in his hand.

"Starfire, others have helped you today. This is my way of helping you. Take it from someone who knows. Killing her will not make you feel better. Killing does not fill the void in your heart."

Tears formed in her eyes. "I already know," she said, collapsing into his arms.

This took him by surprise. Who had she killed? But he did not press the issue any further. He only held her until she was able to go back to her room to rest.

When she got there, Wildfire was already waiting. She had arranged for a bed to be placed in her room for him to stay. Until this whole business could be settled and Galfore could be contacted. "You alright?" he asked.

She sniffed, wiping the last of the tears out of her eyes. "Yes, I am fine, just tired."

He smiled weakly. "I understand you were in the hands of the Gordanians once," he said. "When do the nightmares go away?"

"They do not," Starfire said honestly. "I am lucky to have friends to help me get through it, but sometimes, this helps."

She went to her closet and pulled out a stuffed version of some hairy creature with six legs. "It is a comfort item that I used to have when I was small."

She handed the creature to Wildfire. He held it, staring at hit for a long time. "I remember this," he said.

"You do?"

"A little. You…you used to give this to me when I had nightmares."

"Yes!" Starfire said excitedly, glad he was able to remember something.

He shrugged. "I don't remember everything, but little things come back to me," he said. "I do not think I will ever fully remember you, but I am happy to have you in my life again."

"I am as well." She wrapped him in a gentle hug.

True, she had to prepare for the ultimate fight with her sister, but for now, little things like this made all the misery just a little better.

XxX

Jump City had become a ghost town since the arrival of the Gordanians, many citizens too afraid to leave their homes. The Titans could put it off no longer. "Ready?" Robin asked.

Starfire only nodded.

"Alright, everyone knows the plan. Star goes for Blackfire and the rest of us cover. Blackfire goes down, and the Gordanians are likely to cave."

"You sure you want to do this?" Cyborg asked.

"I am not ready to face my problems with the Gordanians, but there is no one else who can make sure my sister harms no one else."

They heard the Gordanian army marching out to meet them. "Okay, then, Titans go!"

Starfire wasted no time clearing herself a path directly into the ship. Several soldiers lay in a stunned heap in her wake. As they recovered, they began sending in troops after her. "Okay, now's our cue," Robin said.

He threw a series of smoke bombs to disorient the soldiers going after Starfire. It also helped to provide a nice cover for Robin to catch them by surprise and knock them away from following her. He took up the position of goalie, trying to keep them from getting back in the ship.

Raven, meanwhile, created a force field around the area. Things were about to get messy, and the fewer civilians involved, the better.

Just as she finished sealing the field, a Gordanian came up from behind her to strike. She ducked just in time, levitating their own weapon out of their hands and bending it into a pretzel. Her eyes glowed a deep red. She had not forgotten her foray into Starfire's mind. They would all pay. The Gordanian let out a squeal of fear and turned tail. She was about to unleash her full wrath upon them.

Archangel also let loose the full brunt of his fury. He owed it to his friend after they had destroyed her home, after his people had helped make that possible. Flames roared from his hands, driving back the forces closing in on him. One Gordanian meant to strike for his head, but he whipped around, blasting him in the face. The creature cried out, but was not severely injured enough to be incapacitated.

Beast Boy came to his rescue, and bowled over several soldiers in the form of a mammoth. "If you've got any kind of a secret weapon," Beast Boy said, catching his breath, "now would be a good time to use it. We can't just keep beating these guys back. On your right."

Archangel let out a frustrated roar, blasting a jet of white flames at the Gordanian. That seemed to sting, and he cried out in pain.

"Dude, I didn't know you could turn up the heat!"

"I…uh…did not know either," Archangel said, marveling at the new discovery.

"Whatever it is, keep it up."

Beast Boy went back into the fray, despite the pain in his chest. The burn still hurt something fierce, but he pushed through. He knew when he took that hit, Starfire had meant to kill. He did not need to know the details. If Starfire had intentions to kill a Gordanian, then they must have done something pretty messed up to deserve it.

He intended only to save it for emergencies, but this seemed like a good enough reason to unleash the beast. He transformed into a massive, hairy creature that looked to be something between a werewolf and a yeti. In this form, he could use his full potential; his top strength, his top speed, top everything. That came with a cost, though. As the beast, he was leaving behind everything that made him human. Anything that moved was now prey. He would have to be careful not to hurt his friends.

Cyborg came armed to the teeth for this fight. Not only were they going against an army. They were going against an army who had hurt someone Cyborg considered his sister. They were not going to leave without a few casualties.

His sonic cannon boomed one right after the other. No one could hear anything except for the thunderous roars of his shots. He also let one of his arms detach, outfitted with a laser gun. The ratta-tat bangs of it certainly got a few Gordanians running.

Outside the ship, it was total chaos, but Starfire focused on her one goal: finding Blackfire. Despite her promise to Archangel not to fatally harm her sister, that did not mean she was going to let her get away so easily.

Cyborg had lent her one of his scanners, so she could follow Blackfire's signal throughout the ship. She carefully avoided more soldiers who were still in there. Probably preparing for an emergency takeoff when things went sour. Not like Blackfire was going to let them turn tail so easily. Still, she did not need a repeat of her last rampage against the Gordanians. She needed to keep her head.

She followed the signal all the way to one of the main armories. So much for the element of surprise though.

"You and your team need to stop being so predictable," Blackfire said. "Still, I guess it makes it easier to beat you to a pulp."

Starfire said nothing, and let her fists ignite. "What, not going to try and reason with me? Not going to try and win me over with the power of love?"

She shook her head. "I am done with the reasoning, Blackfire. You have betrayed our family, and you have betrayed me numerous times. You have run out of the opportunities to redeem yourself."

"Ooh, now this Starfire I like," Blackfire said with a mocking tone. "You'll be a lot more fun to beat."

Starfire yelled a war-cry and threw herself at Blackfire. All that training with Slade had paid off. Her sister caught her and rolled with the momentum, leaving both tumbling on the ground, Blackfire ending up on top. "I think you forget, sister, I have a few more advantages," she said, turning on her power amplifier.

Starfire struggled, and dodged the starbolt aimed at her head. She recovered and launched her own starbolt at Blackfire. She nimbly avoided it. "You see, there's no point in your wasted efforts," said Blackfire. "I've always been older, better, and faster than you."

Starfire stood, planning her next move. "Your pride was what made you lose to me the last time."

Blackfire chose not to respond to that, perhaps because she did not have a comeback for it, and instead shot another high-powered starbolt. Starfire flew out of the way in time for it to disintegrate a shelf of weaponry behind her. She took cover behind more shelves, stalling for time until she could think of what to do.

"So, gonna hide from me are you?" Blackfire taunted. "You're just prolonging the inevitable. And what about your friends? You just gong to leave them hanging and let them die fighting for you? I knew you were weak, sister, but a coward too? Then again, I guess I should have expected that. After all, you ran away from your duties to Tamaran. You were supposed to help bring peace to our planet, and instead, you ran away."

Starfire saw her opening. "You betrayed Tamaran and forced me into slavery! I cannot forgive you for any of that."

She fired a highly controlled starbolt that struck the side of Blackfire's amplifying device, smashing it to pieces. There were perhaps a thousand curses on her lips in that moment. But she could not voice the, so deep in shock was she. Instead, she watched as Starfire tackled her head-on. She punched her. "You knew exactly what you were doing!" Starfire yelled, having prepared for this moment. "You gave us away to the Gordanians, just to save yourself." She hit her again. "You knew this, and you still sent me to be their slave. You killed our parents."

Blackfire seemed to crumple with every hit, but she finally spoke up. "Our parents? Starfire, I never – "

Another fist silenced her. Blackfire could take it no longer and struggled out of Starfire's grasp. She made a few feeble attempts to shoot a starbolt at Starfire, but her sister's rage made her ability to avoid them that much more accurate. Starfire hit her with her own starbolts, knocking her to the ground.

Blackfire lay there, nearly defeated. Still, she smiled. "You're not going to do it," she said, spitting blood. "You won't kill your own sister. You can't bring yourself to do it. You couldn't then, and you won't now."

At first, Starfire said nothing. She picked Blackfire up so that they were eye to eye. "I have promised someone not to kill you, so I will not. I ask only that you leave, and never return. But if I discover your whereabouts or any illegal activities you engage in from here on out, I will find you, and I will break that promise."

Blackfire was about to say something back when she saw the look in her sister's eyes. She would do it.

Starfire left the Gordanian ship, one weight off her shoulder, while another weighed upon her. The Gordanians offered very little resistance. With Blackfire gone, and a pointless fight, they had no reason to stay. Further, Starfire's threat to them sent the message quickly. Her friends looked to her.

"I wish to go home now," she said solemnly.

XxX

"Are you certain?" Galfore asked. "We are more than happy to return you to the Omegamen, but are you certain you did not want to at least see Tamaran? In all technicality, you are the next in line to be the Grand Ruler."

Galfore had been summoned to Earth to retrieve Wildfire. Much like Starfire, hew as greatly surprised by the news. Still, it was an awkward first meeting, as Wildfire did not remember him either.

He smiled. "Perhaps one day," he said. "I suppose it is important to see the place of my birth, but they are my family. I'm sorry, I only meant…"

Galfore nodded. "I understand. It is an unusual situation for us all. But know, you could always be welcome in both families."

Wildfire turned to face Starfire one last time. "Even though I don't know you…or rather, I'm still getting to know you, I'm happy fate has brought us together. Perhaps we may meet again."

She nodded eagerly. "I would like that very much. It is still a lot to get used to. I mean, my brother is actually alive! I am more than happy, but it is different now."

The two siblings exchanged one last hug goodbye before Galfore began to escort him away. True, her family had been broken as she completely severed all ties to her sister, but it was becoming whole once more, slowly but surely. She had also vowed to herself that she would reach out to Rulore in the near future. She was not entirely ready to face the full extent of her trauma, but she was willing to take a few steps to start.

To say that normalcy resumed was a bit of an understatement. True, the team had returned to their usual routines and habits after a few weeks, but things were markedly different. Starfire was quieter and more contemplative at this time. They began to miss her usual cheerful conversation or pleasant humming. But they knew a lot had changed.

She no longer had to hide behind a pretend smile. Starfire had started being open and honest about her feelings. And in many ways, that had been an improvement. It felt like they were getting to know her again for the first time.

Beast Boy managed to heal as best as could be expected. He readily forgave his friend even though Starfire had gotten into the ritual of apologizing to him nearly every day.

Only one person seemed out of sorts since the event. There was still a lot on Archangel's mind, though he could not voice his concerns to anyone else. True, he still felt guilty after having admitted to Starfire the part his own people played in the destruction of Tamaran. She had not blamed him in particular. How could she? He would have been far too young to have been responsible.

No, it was something else entirely which bothered him, some nagging feeling that something did not add up.

He eventually received an answer to his doubts, though it was exactly what he had feared.

Archangel knew he came at night, and though he did not go up there every time, he knew he would be waiting. He was incredibly impatient like that. Archangel knew this time, he had to go up. He waited until the dead of night, when he knew everyone else was asleep and traipsed up to the roof. As usual, he was waiting. "So, you finally decided to show," he said, turning and coming to Archangel. "That means you have news for me."

He had prepared for this. "The plant lives. It has grown into a bud. It shall be ready soon."

"Just what I wanted to hear."

It was now or never. "You killed them, didn't you?" Archangel blurted out.

"Who?"

He swallowed, afraid to voice the fear. "The Grand Ruler and his wife. You killed them?"

Saraquael turned back to him, chuckling. "Brother, why are you bringing up ancient history now?"

Archangel stepped back from him. "So, you did do it!"

His brother grinned. "Sometimes, we have to make our own fate. It's not like it was hard to bribe someone to ensure a certain fruit ended up in the right place at the right time."

His fists shook and his body tensed. It could not be. "You underhanded, cold-blooded…"

"Let's not forget why you're here," Saraquael said. "Tamaran will be ours, brother, and you will kill her, or else. Don't forget: this is your chance to kill her painlessly."

"I haven't forgotten."

Saraquael sneered. "Truthfully, I was hoping Blackfire might have taken care of it for us. She is, after all, much easier to deal with. We could've handled eliminating her afterwards. But this will have to do."

He could not understand how his brother could speak about such matters so flippantly. Saraquael seemed to sense what he was feeling. "Are you having doubts."

Archangel gritted his teeth. "Always, but I have no choice in the matter."

Saraquael chuckled. "No, no, you do not." He then seized Archangel by the throat. "Because I'm always watching, and I will know if you try to double-cross me, brother. Now, come back to me when that silly flower is ready."

 _Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read/follow/favorite/review this story. It has been a pleasure writing it over the past three and a half years. Obviously, a sequel is in the works, though there is much to get done before then. I'm taking a sort of partial hiatus, if you will. A few odds and ends will still be published (updates to my FNAF fic, and the occasional Magic challenge piece), but mostly, I'll be working behind the scenes, editing and polishing my work, planning out the sequence for the next Teen Titan fic, and of course, taking a little time for me. I don't know when the sequel will come out, so just be on the lookout. The cover will have that nifty little Archangel symbol on it, and all of you who have shown your support will probably receive a PM a couple weeks before I intend to start publishing. Thank you again, and I hoped you enjoyed this tale._

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 **Special Author's Note:** Dear readers, a very special announcement has been posted to my profile.


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